The traditional home-school partnership was a communitywide, adult conspiracy to raise good, responsible children. Because of massive social and economic changes, parents and school personnel no longer necessarily share neighborhoods, economic status, language, culture, or child-rearing viewpoints. A new, mutually respectful, and enjoyable "dance"…

Reports the results of 23 referenda on funding public library capital campaigns. The location of each referendum, the pass/fail rate by season, and data summarizing referenda over the past six years are provided. Two sidebars cover the failed referendum in Westerville (Ohio) and the successful referendum in Saratoga Springs (New York). (KRN)

Describes a week-long, cross-curriculum project focused on the decade of the 1940s that was conducted at the Vandalia (Illinois) junior high school. Project goals, activities appropriate to each of the disciplines, lists of 1940s personalities, trends and events used to design lessons, and involvement of the wider community are covered. (eight…

Describes a personal experience in the effort to avoid widespread herbicide spraying. Provides insights for building a successful campaign: involvement, finding support, acceptance of differences of opinion, autonomy from political factions, and not assuming people are closed to healthier alternatives. (MCO)

Discusses collaboration between the Research and Development Center and the Institute for Responsive Education and its national reform project called the League of Schools Reaching Out. League seeks to show how school-family-community partnerships can contribute significantly to school restructuring or reform aimed at increasing all children's…

In April 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education issued a 32-page report ("A Nation at Risk") calling for drastic educational reforms. A decade later, four top education reformers--John Goodlad, Henry Levin, Phillip Schlechty, and Ted Sizer--assess this document and its legacy. Most see substantial progress despite the…

Various disparate activities have been defined as outreach, which is an element of social service/disease prevention programs. The history of outreach as a project element within federal social programs, central sources of variations in this element, measures of effectiveness and cost effectiveness, and recurring implementation issues are…

Explores the community involvement process through a telephone survey of 400 adult Iowans. Indicates that keeping up with local news and getting together with other people are necessary to the process. Concludes that some people become involved because of their specific ideas for change, whereas others hope good ideas will result from involvement.…

Argues that the failure of programs for developmentally impaired children lies in the type of programs developed, their mode of delivery, and the organization of the care delivery system itself. Suggests that direct community and family involvement would be more effective than additional funding or expansion of current programs. (FMW)

Describes a Pennsylvania elementary school's efforts to enhance school-community partnerships and thereby garner support for innovative programs such as whole language, cooperative learning, process writing, and authentic assessment. The keys to success were improved home-school communication and parent involvement. Parents were encouraged to…

Superintendents across the country are feeling more isolated and vulnerable than ever before. To overcome feelings of isolation, some throw themselves into community activities; others join professional organizations or network with colleagues in neighboring districts. Lonely superintendents should also reach out to people, take care of…

Countless court cases have taught school districts that fairness in general operations funding means more than dispersing funds to the most politically powerful communities. The same holds true for facilities. Equity (allocating resources based on relative need) depends on setting standards, inventorying existing facilities, identifying the…

Discusses the need for citizen involvement to help restore and improve nutrition programs cut by the welfare reform bill. Describes various activities to offset government cutbacks and ease hunger in America. (YKH)

Presents William J. Bennett's views on the influence parents can have on school design and the alienating effect on parents from schools when they are not part of the planning process. He offers the quasi-public school concept where community opinion influences the ultimate school design. (GR)

A decrease in community involvement in a substance-abuse prevention program for teens was attributed to lack of diversity in program planners (mostly health professionals) and awareness but lack of action among community members. The project worked to generate parent participation and ownership of the program. (SK)