Explains the two components of an effective child-care-program needs assessment: purpose identification, and process and implementation. Discusses the types and sources of specific information needed for a successful assessment, as well as common pitfalls to avoid. Outlines four steps in the process and implementation component. (TJQ)

In Hale County, Alabama, a strong spirit of community collaboration led to the development of a family resource center that provides preschool education, a drug prevention program, center-based and mobile health services, general equivalency diploma (GED) classes, outreach services, and a youth leadership program in which outstanding high school…

From 1964 to 1971, Saskatchewan's Thatcher government pursued a policy of providing Metis and Indian job placements, supported by job training and housing in urban relocation centers. Based on economic integration of individuals into mainstream society, the government's plan appeared insufferably paternalistic as increasingly militant Metis…

Today's young American Indians have unprecedented opportunities, but the traditional role of community and elders in leadership development has been disrupted. Several programs are described that develop Indian leaders in accordance with Indian traditions. Innovative cultural programming, internship and employment opportunities, and integrating…

Presents and analyzes qualitative data collected during interviews with 30 senior female administrators working at community colleges in the Midwest. Reveals three patterns of leadership identity for women: adaptation, reconciliation, and resistance. Discusses each category in respect to leadership identity, communication style, and gender issues.…

Societal leadership in general and educational leadership in particular, in all parts of the world, requires persons of high moral character with ethical values that favor people of color. The United States and other countries throughout the world are in desperate need of leadership that results in social justice. As part of the growing…

This article explores the way one youth leadership development organization has used youth-adult partnerships (Y-APs) as a practice to support youth participation in community-change efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California. The authors describe how Y-APs are used in two principal areas of the Youth Leadership Institute's…

Academic honor society alumni in two samples reported their undergraduate and post-baccalaureate education and employment experiences. In Study 1 of 108 honor society alumni leaders at an urban, private, faith-based liberal arts college, more men graduated cum laude yet attended top-tier graduate institutions and earned doctoral degrees than women…

The UN Millennium goals envision a more just and sustainable future. This article explains why there is a need to shift from domination model to a partnership model in meeting the UN Millennium goals. The domination model is a configuration based on top-down rankings of control, while the partnership model is a configuration that can support a…

Toward the end of the of the twentieth century, the idea that young people are social actors gained increasing predominance. Since then, there has been a growing recognition of young people's ability to understand and contribute to forming their environments. In this article, the authors discuss the state of youth participation in the United…

The role of administrator preparation programs should be one of creating the conscientization (Freire, 2000) of aspiring administrators. Administrator preparation programs with a social justice perspective support and agitate aspiring administrators to act and address equity issues affecting all of those involved in the school learning community…

This article first explores the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) identified in the research literature. Second, it examines the staff and student outcomes derived from the implementation and integration of a PLC in a K-12 school or a university. Third, it provides suggestions for school leaders about creating and…

Sometimes literature appears that a social studies teacher can use to create lesson plans for concepts that are difficult for students to master. This article is about such literature and how using it has resulted in students understanding and incorporating one of the most difficult lessons to absorb--leadership. In this article, the authors…

The role of the superintendent has changed dramatically, from community leader to school manager to education leader to scapegoat, and it is anyone's guess where the job is headed. What is clear, however, is that today's educational climate calls for a new way of doing business. With the formal powers of their position stripped away by bargaining…

From a visual perspective, many disadvantaged students are assigned to schools that are dark, shabby and lifeless--more like a factory or fortress than a place for learning. Equally lifeless is the standard test-driven curriculum which utterly fails to tap the interests and talents of these students. Stultified learning environments are…