Parent involvement in their children's schooling declines dramatically as students move through middle school and high school, though students still want and need their parents' help to reach educational goals. This newsletter presents several articles on partnerships between schools and families and between families and community programs. The…

Intended for community development professionals and volunteers who work with preliterate communities, this illustrated handbook accompanies a library of visual aids that allow rural people to formulate their own projects. (The curriculum, called Pictorial Apprenticeship, transfers the process of project design into visual forms that literate and…

This manual and accompanying implementation handbook provide a framework for Saskatchewan community schools seeking to create the comprehensive, preventive, and empowering learning programs needed by Indian, Metis, and at-risk children. The introduction defines community schools and summarizes elements of the community schools best practices…

This volume reports on the fifth nationwide survey of trends in mental retardation (MR) and developmental disabilities (DD). It begins with four chapters summarizing trends in the nation as a whole. The first chapter is "Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" (David Braddock). This…

Workplace literacy programs are employer- and/or union-sponsored basic skills upgrading programs for workers and their families. Community-based literacy programs can support workplace programs. Several factors should be considered in Northern Ontario workplace literacy programs: (1) technological change; (2) aging population; (3) outmigration of…

This document, which is designed to serve as a resource for school districts that are formulating comprehensive parent involvement programs, provides a representative sampling of parent involvement programs in California. Section 1 lists programs operating at the local educational level that: (1) help parents develop parenting skills and foster…

This article discusses university efforts to institutionalise community engagement. A seminal study conducted by the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities expressed concern over the unresponsiveness of institutions of higher education to community issues. Land-grant institutions were established to educate…

This report surveys the vocational education system, work experience programs, and job training programs for youths in Chicago. The report is organized in five sections. It begins with a brief review of the socioeconomic context that affects youth employment in the city of Chicago. Section 2 examines vocational training in the Chicago public…

Twenty years after the War on Poverty was launched, dependency on public support remains widespread. Part 1 of this report summarizes current research concerning the following issues affecting welfare programs: (1) evaluating the economic effects of welfare; (2) dynamics of dependency; (3) welfare and work; (4) welfare and family structure; (5)…

This paper brings together information on the conditions and needs of children who have been exposed to drugs, federal programs that affect the well-being of these children, and policy questions that need resolution. Discussion concerns: (1) characteristics of infants who have been exposed to drugs and their families, including prevalence and…

In response to the public's demand for information, school boards are advised to develop a properly managed and executed public information and community relations program. Goals of such a public relations (PR) program are outlined as: honesty in the dissemination of information, an organization oriented toward community involvement, and…

This handbook serves as a brief introduction to industry-education partnerships. It provides individuals in schools, businesses, and community organizations with basic information on partnership initiation and management. It also outlines strategies that will help in avoiding some of the problems that may have defeated previous partnership…

This report describes a "third wave" of educational reform that focuses on improving academic achievement and preventing dropping out among disadvantaged children. It contains eight sections. The Executive Summary surveys the dimensions of the at-risk situation and strategies to confront it. "The Scope of the Problem" provides background on the…

Our nation's youth dropout rate, while consistent for almost 20 years, has increasingly become a major educational and societal problem. This summary of a longer sourcebook provides an overview of various strategies and initiatives for groups, schools, businesses, and communities to consider in addressing their dropout problems, and describes a…

This report, a product of the Commission on Youth and America's Future, addresses the problem of the approximately 20 million 16- to 24-year-olds who are not likely to attend college. Although many youth without college education are successful, a large fraction are not and need help to succeed. However, the portrait of them as troubled and in…