Cluster communities, voluntary alliances between communities to address common problems, can be facilitated by government financial support; state policies, laws, and regulations permitting collaboration; and educational programs. Education should focus on reconceptualizing "community" and fostering regional belonging. (SK)

Universities must recognize that they are part of the community and take an active role in community building. A comprehensive national/state collaborative system is needed to restore a sense of social purpose to the university. (SK)

Explores the relationships of caregivers of mentally ill people with professional mental health providers since the introduction of community-based services. Respondents perceived mental health workers to be professional, friendly, respectful and positive in outlook. However they indicated dissatisfaction with accessibility, communication about…

Draws upon community field theory and human ecology and uses data from 120 rural Pennsylvania school districts to examine the relative contributions of past community actions, development of solidarity, and ecological variables (socioeconomic status, remoteness, previous industrialization, and percentage of residents commuting to work) to the…

Community change requires a mindshift toward developing personal leadership skills and collaborative holistic organizational design. Examples from Asheville, North Carolina, illustrate that communities are a web of influence and interdependence in which collaboration requires transcending old ways of doing things. (SK)

Uses genre and genre repertoire to investigate a community's structuring of communicative practices. Examines communications exchanged by a group of distributed knowledge workers in a multiyear, interorganizational project conducted primarily through electronic mail. Results reveal rich, varied communications shaped in response to community norms,…

Analysis of the enrollment procedure for a study of an intensive, community-based diabetes management program revealed that persons who declined initially were slightly older and lived further away from the study site. Recruitment strategies were compared, revealing that press releases and newspaper advertisements were the most effective. (JPS)

Describes the Salome Urena de Henriquez Intermediate School 218 in Manhattan, New York. The school is organized into five academies and includes a health and dental clinic, an extended-day program, a community-based steering committee, and appropriate inclusion of all children. Salome Urena opened in partnership with Children's Aid Society. (CC)

Establishes a theoretical framework for the evaluation of family planning programs by synthesizing the literature on the theory of collective action. Faced with the problem of noncooperation, asserts that a good program should apply selective incentives, localize the costs and benefits, and invest in social capital. (Contains 60 references.) (MDH)

Extension educators broadened their capacity to educate more Latino families about lead poisoning through collaboration with community agencies. Agencies were provided multicultural curriculum materials and staff training to carry the program into the community. (SK)

A case study of a health promotion coalition to reduce deaths from AIDS and substance abuse illustrates how empowerment planning can take place, as well as how political and ethical issues influence planning decisions. (SK)

Five new realities affect community problem solving: (1) fewer public dollars; (2) increased local/regional responsibility; (3) renewed focus on local government integrity; (4) wider distribution of community power; and (5) increasingly diverse population. Communities that prosper practice collaborative problem solving and consensus-based decision…

Describes how the University of Washington, Tacoma, a 10-year-old urban university, has turned community relations into its biggest asset and a key part of its academic success. Discusses community relations strategies for fund raising, facility development, and legislative advocacy. (EV)

Six community builders in Edmonton, Alberta, planned, developed, and implemented Listen and Learn II, a reflective research project in asset-based community building, over a 6-month period in 1998. They met regularly over 2 months to plan the research and design a method that was open to participation at any stage, encouraged exchange of…

The growing demands for educational improvements must be addressed by all segments of the community. The business sector can meet its part of this responsibility through business-education partnership programs. This document is a guide for businesses or schools interested in beginning such a partnership. It is also a descriptive listing of…