The inclusion of more sociology related materials in the 8th and 9th grade civics curriculum can push the margins of civics education to a more broadly conceived notion of citizenry and make civics and sociology more relevant to students' lives. The goal should be to help students understand society, not the discipline of sociology. Sociology…

Chicano Spanish in not only a product of two languages, but also the influence of middle-class environment and immediate realities. These realities are much different from those in Mexico, even though they derive from it, having a strong relationship to all factors that constitute social level and status. Three principal dialects are: Tex-Mex,…

This paper describes the Hmong refugees in the United States, the state of their resettlement, and possible approaches to resettlement problems. Included are descriptions of the Hmong background and culture; orientation programs in refugee camps; processes and specific problems of Hmong resettlement; Hmong organizations; Hmong adjustment to…

The ineffectiveness of community boards as avenues for meaningful citizen participation in providing public human services may be traced to problems in service institutions, in communities, and in the boards themselves. In service institutions, community participation in the provision of services is discouraged by: (1) professionals' condescending…

This report addresses implementation of the maternal and child health (MCH) services block grant. Information concerning implementation was gathered from 13 states. At least one state was selected in every standard federal region, and, in total, the 13 states accounted for approximately 45 percent of all block grant funds and an equivalent portion…

Despite the huge potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to assist communities to increase their overall well-being through community development, there are relatively few examples of sustained community networks built around ICT when compared to commercial applications, even in the developed countries where the technology has…

The final meeting of a community project called "University Education as a Public Issue" was held in Carbondale in April 1977, and concluded a series of five town meetings held in southern Illinois. The project was designed to clarify the differing values in the present confusion over the identity and role of the university, to engage…

In 1977 more than 500 Native Americans attended Wisconsin's vocational, technical and adult schools located in the state's 16 vocational-technical districts. While many problems still lack a clear identification and many new programs are needed to meet the needs of Native Americans, a great deal of progress has been made. A group of four Indians…

Vocational education as a social intervention process operates on two levels: (1) the micro level at which services are designed to improve the employability of the individual and (2) the macro level where the objective is to heighten the awareness and the sensitivity of the community as to the importance of human resource development for the…

This report is a description and analysis of the 4-H Community Resource Development Program (4-H/CRD). It is based on the proposition that youth activity can be motivated by the prospect of influencing community decisions and outcomes and that the subsequent related activity will be productive of participatory skills of lifelong value in an…

This paper reviews and discusses political models that bear on policy-making processes. The first part of the report deals with the merits of the "elitist" versus the "pluralistic" frameworks used to analyze the exercise of power in local communities. This review of the theories serves as a basis for a subsequent discussion of…

Developed by a regional health consortium, this plan defines the purpose of planning for consumer health education; explores the implications of recent legislation and historical precedents on consumer health education and consumer participation in the health planning process; documents current activities; develops priorities for future efforts;…

Mariemont High School in Mariemont, Ohio, has an open facility that enhances the school's goal to train the student to "think reflectively, critically, and constructively about the problems of his world." (Author/MLF)

This is the final project report for the Transitional Education Project, conducted in Atlanta, Georgia, public schools in 1979-80. A program description is followed by a section that charts changes in students' attitudes toward school and lists program objectives in the areas of English and Spanish language ability and advancement in core…

This collection of conference presentations focuses on the relationships among educational environment, academic achievement, and discipline problems, particularly in desegregated schools. The first paper, by Barbara Sizemore, addresses the role of the school community in creating positive learning experiences. In the second paper, author William…