In Japan, environmental education partnerships among citizens, businesses and local government increased since new legislation was introduced in 2003, but there was little evidence of cross-sector collaboration until recently. Nagoya Open University of the Environment is a highly innovative, multi-sectoral citizen learning system founded in 2005…

This participatory action research project responded to the needs for educational reform and involved cooperation between Mahasarakham Municipality, which provided primary school education, and the Faculty of Education at Mahasarakham University, which played a role as academic mentor. The project aimed to improve the quality of education…

This is a report on Alaska's "local option law" which allows villages to choose one of the following four options on alcohol availability in their communities: (1) the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited unless sold under a community liquor license; (2) the sale of alcoholic beverages is limited to one of several types of retail…

This article sketched the history of education in Chinese cities during the 20th century to show that although no necessary connection between urban schools and bourgeois values exists that, nonetheless, in China such a connection was a historical reality. (Author/RK)

During the past decade states in the southern United States have produced an increasing percentage of the nation's "city" magazines. Three magazines illustrate what the southern metropolitan magazines are doing to serve their readers and their communities. "Southern Living" provides information about its readers' interests as…

In this publication seven authors discuss school-system decentralization and whether or not it has an impact on curriculum. The first article maintains that decentralization does affect curriculum. It presents a history of the move toward decentralization, considers basic aspects of decentralization, discusses decentralization as it now exists in…

In an effort to increase the proportion of minority group members on the New York City police force, this study was commissioned: (1) to learn the reasons for present difficulties in minority recruitment, (2) to analyze the effectiveness of current recruiting strategies and programs, and (3) to develop new approaches aimed at improving minority…

This article provided an account of the organization of cultural activities in the city of Bologna, Italy. It stressed the activities' significance in terms of the city's cultural policy by attempting to show obstacles encountered and efforts made to overcome them. (Author/RK)

Gives data on 56 municipal libraries in some 40 categories. (PF)

Municipal solid waste disposal is becoming complex as costs, wastes, and environmental restrictions increase. Recovery and recycling of materials presents problems of financing, ownership, and operation, technology, and marketing. Energy and materials recovery offers long-term economic and environmental incentives in terms of growing shortages and…

Suggesting that women are at a disadvantage in cities and towns, discusses experiences of women at home, working women, women traveling, shopping, and growing old in cities. Includes suggestions for studying women in cities. (JN)

Outlines an approach used in teaching poetry as a craft, in which poems about small town life were read and discussed to help students discover and write down their responses to their own town. (GT)

Describes the urban statistical abstract published by the reference department of St. Louis University's library since 1971. Significant by-products of this venture are noted, including the development of bibliographic control of local documents and the identification of sources for local information. (Author/JD)

Jack Eldon Baker was born, lived, and died in Gilbert, Arkansas. The story of his life is retold in excerpts from a memorial publication published by the people of the town. This article also makes the case that his story is an example of community inclusion. Through the voices of those who knew him, we see Jack as a person who gave to the…

An examination of big-city newspaper coverage of violent crimes in small towns during a recent five-year period reveals a remarkable degree of uniformity in the language reporters use to characterize life in these places. The cliches signal an underlying set of stereotypes of small-town life: They are safe, close-knit communities where bad things…