This essay provides an overview of the goals and activities of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C. that works to improve the well-being of American children through systemic change and whose goal is to make it unacceptable for any child in the United States to grow up homeless, hungry, sick,…

This idea book is a resource to help individuals focus their good will and energy on helping girls and young women in their communities. After a brief introduction to each of seven advocacy strategies, ideas for action are listed under each. The first advocacy strategy focuses on organizing your community for action. Ideas for action include…

This paper discusses the life and works of Margaret McMillan and Maria Montessori, two advocates for the poor who played a significant role in social and educational reform in Britain and Italy, respectively, in the late 19th- and early 20th century. The upbringing, education, and social milieu of the two women are compared, as well as their…

The impact of the Progressive Movement of 1890-1935 on social, political, economic, and educational developments is reviewed, especially as it relates to parents of handicapped children. The paper notes how parents of the handicapped have evolved from being suspected of causing their child's handicap to becoming partners with professionals in…

By synthesizing theoretical and empirical research on issue networks, this paper describes and classifies four examples of networks involving educational issues. A literature review shows that, unlike other social and economic influences, networks are marked by flexibility in membership, leadership (individual, group, or organizational),…

A course of direction is charted for the anti-nuclear movement. Concern over the growing nuclear arsenals has grown considerably over the last two years for several reasons, including the educational efforts of several anti-nuclear groups, and the publication of several books, such as Jonathan Schell's "The Fate of the Earth." Until now,…

The papers presented focus on the library acquisition, processing, and use of alternative publications, which include small press and other materials produced by non-standard, non-establishment groups or individuals. In "Libraries and Alternatives: An Essay," Patricia Glass Schuman discusses the importance of alternative publications and…

A collection of eight short stories first published in 1886 in "Atlantic Monthly" under the title "Poverty Grass" is worth recovering, particularly now in light of renewed critical interest in history, culture, and feminism. Written by a 19th century activist and documentarian of social reform named Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman,…

The purpose of this Children's Defense Fund (CDF) briefing book for child advocates, community activists, professionals, policymakers, parents, citizens, members of the media, and political leaders is to dramatically increase public consciousness about children's needs and solutions to those needs. The book uses the election year process to build…

Scholars and political commentators have noted a new movement toward direct citizen participation in the candidate nomination process, and some individuals have seen this as a decline of the political parties. This paper examines two concepts: (1) the origins of the argument about participation and strong political parties and (2) the effects of…

Action for Prevention, Inc., in collaboration with the Virginia Institute for Developmental Disabilities, instituted a project to refine and update the 1983 Virginia Act Agenda for the prevention of developmental disabilities. This document presents recommendations from the project's four Task Forces charged with the responsibility of evaluating…

Anti-nuclear discourse, which peaked in 1981-82, signaled an emergence of public discourse on the nuclear warfare issue. During the development of the original atomic bomb, public discussion of the issue was severely restricted, but immediately after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, discourse on the subject increased. During the Cold War…

Policy standards and actions that U.S. colleges and universities can follow concerning South Africa-related investment are discussed, based on a survey of 175 colleges. Investment policy standards include: not investing in companies unless they provide information to shareholders about their business activities in South Africa, not investing in…

Historical, sociological, or dramatistical methodologies can be used to study social movements; however, the dramatistical approach is most useful in a course on the rhetoric of the gay liberation. More suited to examining a completed period, the historical approach has difficulty capturing a contemporary movement. Sociological methodology, which…

This document measures two sociological theories against patterns which emerge from six studies on former student activists. Because the existing data neither confirm nor contradict each theory, a third orientation is introduced. Briefly stated, the social integration theory suggests that former activists assume adult work roles, retreat from…