This guide provides moderators with a sense of what deliberation means, their roles, the dialogue format, and principles and skills they need to keep in mind as they interact with the participants. The purpose of a deliberative dialogue is to bring community members together to discuss a relevant and important issue. The question addressed in this…

The Wisconsin Forces for Four-Year-Olds Project promotes the community approach to offering universal access to quality care and learning services for Wisconsin 4-year-olds. Based on the view that quality early education opportunities have life-long benefits for children and the communities in which they live, this public awareness packet…

A guide for the use by project organizers in the process of creating school-based community projects suggests ways of cultivating school-community relationships. Positive relations with community allies assures fewer obstacles and greater opportunities. An example of a successful community alliance in action is illustrated and identifying…

Discusses the role of middle-school children supported by the community in organizing a project to feed needy children: running the project, and providing an educational activity prior to each meal. Describes academic outcomes of project, such as developing skills in language arts, math, and creative problem solving; and learning about nutrition.…

A survey was conducted of 193 directors of agencies providing home visits as part of early intervention programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities. The survey indicated that a major function of home visits was to assist families in coordinating and integrating additional services needed from other agencies and resources. (CR)

This chapter examines the role of a national network of local and regional intermediary organizations in initiating and sustaining community-based youth worker professional development systems. This approach is instructive for other intermediaries in establishing training standards, assessing impact, providing organizational supports for youth…

Since the 1970s, participatory development has become part and parcel of most practitioner-oriented development studies programs. This reflects a shift in the field of development that has been going on for the past few decades. "Participatory Rural Appraisal" (PRA) is one approach to participatory development that has received much…

This paper provides background and practical suggestions for creating and nurturing community partnerships.

This journal issue examines the four key areas for major policy action identified by the Carnegie Task Force in its report, Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children. The four areas of policy recommendation are: (1) promoting responsible parenthood, concerned with preventing adolescent pregnancies and unwanted births, teaching…

The Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL), in South Carolina, is one of eight pilot community colleges involved in the Academy for Community College Leadership Advancement, Innovation, and Modeling (ACCLAIM). ACCLAIM is a demonstration project involving colleges in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina concerned with expanding…

This paper describes one effort to establish a collaborative around the issues of at-risk youth. The Annie E. Casey Foundation's New Futures Initiative was an attempt to build formal structures of collaboration among public and private organizations to address at-risk youth. Data were gathered over 5 years from the six cities in which the program…

As a result of federal law Public Law 99-457, Illinois has the opportunity to provide early intervention for at-risk children up to 3 years of age. These children have developmental delays, such as cerebral palsy, or are cocaine or alcohol babies. The legislative history and current status of Public Law 99-457 as it relates to the planning of…

This paper describes some of the tools that The Regeneration Project, in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, has developed for use in the process of local economic improvement. One or more of these may be of interest to other individuals in communities that wish to undertake similar projects. Regenerative development provides markets for locally produced goods…

Since no local library can meet the information needs of the community on its own, librarians and local policymakers must look to other existing agencies and channels for support. In every locale are agencies, organizations, and governmental and social service units that daily gather, compile, and disseminate information as one of their missions.…

Problems and processes of establishing a comprehensive data register to serve the Fresno City Unified School District and other local governmental units are discussed as part of PROJECT DESIGN, funded under ESEA Title III. The objective of the report is to examine the present state of data collection and dispersal in the Fresno area and to suggest…