It is unwise to give even a philosophically competent school head the power to set curriculum policy. In a democratic society that power should be held by the community rather than by technocrats because of the possibility of authoritarian abuse by specialists not accountable to the larger community. (IS)

Presents a practical viewpoint of the economic necessities of funding education and a general model for restoring economic stability. This involves a fixed "Basic Education Budget" not subject to voter approval, an "Index for Fixed School Costs" based on socioeconomic status of the community, and increased community…

Community Network for Youth Development (CNYD) has served the San Francisco Bay Area for the past twelve years as a youth development intermediary organization offering support, training, and capacity building resources to youth-serving organizations and programs. This report discusses CNYD's capacity-building approach. CNYD has developed a…

High school students and those who try to educate them have a tall order to fill. High schools must help create the workforce of the future by turning out graduates who have the 21st century skills that colleges and employers demand, while overcoming the achievement gap that exists for poor and minority students and fighting social pressures such…

This guide was developed to encourage community organizations to employ public engagement strategies in the context of school finance litigation taking place in their states. While litigation may at times seem daunting and complex to non-lawyers, there is much that community-based organizations concerned with education reform can do to become…

Background: The Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) Education for All National Plan of Action (EFA NPA) for 2003-2015 seeks to accomplish three major tasks: equitable access, improved quality and relevance and strengthened education management. Purpose: To design a National Education For All Action Plan for basic education in Lao PDR which…

This report explores questions about roles for citizens and governments in a good society by examining six Canadian experiences with civic engagement. Each case study involves different sectors of society, key players, goals, processes, and outcomes; touches on long-standing policy issues in Canada; and details how players have come together or…

Researchers working with the American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in Arizona have found that culture is important in social research, especially with indigenous people. Community-based participatory research is one approach that has yielded outcomes valuable to researchers and community members. However, ethical concerns…

According to Federal land appraisals, the land surrounding the Pineville community in Delaware County, Oklahoma, was "unfit for any use," but to the Cherokee who lived there it was a land of plenty. In 1875 Cherokee families constructed a log meeting house, which served first as a church and became a school in 1893. The 1880 Cherokee Census…

This guidebook presents strategic interventions for community change. It is designed to build an understanding of six strategic interventions and create the capacity to deploy them. It helps local education funds (LEF) engage their communities, organize parents and other residents, advocate for sound policy, and work with districts and teachers.…

This sourcebook, which builds on a 1993 publication, "The Prevention of Youth Violence: A Framework for Community Action," offers insight into best practices to prevent violence by children and adolescents. It was developed with input from people working to prevent youth violence and people whose positions made them likely to play a role…

A growing number of charter schools are being designed, launched, and operated by community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs). This resource guide is intended to target a priority technical assistance need: creating and sustaining a healthy relationship between a new charter school and a founding community organization, leading to the creation…

In these times of shrinking budgets, scarce economic resources, intensifying criticism of the results of public schools, and increased demands on schools to provide more than traditional education, educational partnerships can serve as major resources to schools. The objectives of this sourcebook are to provide examples of the multitude of…

In 1995, the Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative (ARSI) was awarded a 5-year grant to improve performance in mathematics and science in a 66-county area in central Appalachia through high-quality, standards-based teaching supported by aligned, coherent local and regional systems. The ARSI model has three levels. The first level entails local…

The DeWitt Wallace-Readers Digest Library Power Initiative has been instrumental in precipitating reform efforts in school libraries. National Library Power programs have strengthened the role of the school library media specialist and the school library program. The initiative emphasizes that library media specialists integrate information…