A longitudinal assessment of interagency cooperation was conducted as part of a research project designed to monitor the implementation and development of the Smart Start collaboration process. Telephone interviews were conducted with key informants from organizations providing services to children, and the resulting qualitative, quantitative, and…

Minority families are less likely than Anglos to seek services from community agencies. Two studies were conducted with 178 Hispanic, 309 American Indian (Ute and Navajo), and 363 Anglo parents using the Social Network Questionnaire, Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role scale, checklists of community resources, and the Marin acculturation…

The expanded role of schools in integrating various service providers to address the needs of at-risk students and their families is discussed in this educational policy bulletin. The debate about the extent and means of the broadening school scope is reviewed and the types of school-linked service delivery programs are outlined. Characteristics…

The monograph comprises the proceedings of a 1989 international conference on services to the deaf blind, including conference papers as well as reports from eight nations. Introductory material includes the text of the "Declaration of the Basic Needs of Deaf-Blind Persons" adopted at the conference, the conference program, and a list of…

In Japan, the educational and treatment facilities for handicapped children in the community have poor interagency communication and lack consistent policies concerning developmentally handicapped children. A community care network is being established for these children in Koganei City, supported by a research institute and a local government.…

The purpose of this study was to follow up two previous studies on the vocational rehabilitation needs of American Indians with disabilities and the effectiveness of projects authorized by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title 1, Part D, Section 130 to meet those needs. A self-evaluative questionnaire was developed and mailed to the project…

Field experience courses permit undergraduate students to earn academic credit for work off-campus. These practicum opportunities have been rated positively by participants and alumni of psychology programs. Reactions to field experience are typically assessed following the practicum or in follow-up surveys of alumni. This study reports on an…

The former HEW National Strategy for Youth Development (NSYD) model was created as a community-based planning and procedural tool to promote youth development and prevent delinquency. To assess the predictive power of NSYD Impact Scales in classifying youths into low, medium, and high delinquency levels, male and female students aged 10-19 years…

To describe how Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) field program associates perceive themselves performing their role functions, three associates and two assistants responded to questions about: their tasks, responsibilities, and roles; how they got started; what skills they needed; and what materials or technical assistance could benefit…

Four curricular models are contrasted: the performance model (which is exemplified by most college curricula), closed and open contrast models, and the "experimenting community" in which learning experiences emerge from a process of interaction. This latter approach is elaborated upon in terms of its emphasis on nurturing improvisational learning,…

Reviewing the activities of the Literacy Corps in Iran, the article examines the national service organization which has done much to combat illiteracy in rural areas and lower the national rate of illiteracy. (MW)

This paper first considers the importance of housing as a component of rural quality of life. Rural-urban housing differences are then evaluated, with both advantages and disadvantages cited for rural areas relative to urban areas. A strategy to improve rural housing by increasing the number of housing choices is presented, with human service…

A study involving a simple random sample of 180 county-level administrators employed by the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service assessed the effects of client and administrator involvement as stakeholders in evaluation. A posttest-only control group design was used. Variables included level of administrator involvement as stakeholders and level of…

The tremendous economic, cultural, and social changes that have taken place in the United States in the past 30 years have significantly altered family life. To meet the needs of families, communities and family structures have changed. For the past 10 years, the National Government has been redefining its role in relation to the family. While it…

Using data from the Older Adult Project within the Health Promotion Research Program at Northern Illinois University, this study examined four dimensions of health conception and their relationship to six dimensions of health-promoting lifestyle in a population of older adults (n=364). A battery of instruments was administred to all subjects to…