Presenting implications for a practical strategy in community development, this article deals with the exchange: within local Volunteer Fire Departments (VFD); between a VFD and its local public; between and among VFD's which compose the fire service; and between the fire service as an organized collectivity and the regional public. (JC)

Describes a cooperative program designed to relieve police of their community social service role so that they may have more time for law enforcement crises. (Author)

With the government working party report on the subject well overdue this article challenges some of the conventional attitudes of the agencies which aim to help the young single homeless. (Editor/RK)

Briefly discusses the impact and objectives of federal aid to education and lists 14 federal agencies that have significant interests in financing education-related programs. (JG)

The intended coordinative role of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), as defined under the National Environmental Policy Act, is compared and contrasted with its actual activities since its formation in 1969. The Council on Environmental Quality's success has been varied and is subject to dispute. (BT)

Federal agencies conduct large, national studies that provide abundant data easily accessible to researchers. While these datasets provide access to rich data for analyzing a multitude of topics, certain skills are necessary for appropriate use. Specifically, over sampling and multistage cluster sampling must be accommodated in the analyses to…

This report traces the history and accomplishments of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education over the past 12 years, during 3 state administrations. In the early 1990s, as the Commonwealth was feeling the impact of recession, the perceived quality of the system was declining, as were enrollments and retention. State policymakers and leaders…

This is a summary of external recognition achieved by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST). Data were collected as part of the institution's accreditation efforts and included information on three types of external recognition: (1) formal accreditation or program evaluation; (2) other external recognition of a…

Children with serious mental or emotional disorders require a range of services and supports, as do their families. Yet fragmentation of services and conflicting program rules have long impeded children's and families' access to needed care. This issue brief examines how federal programs and rules have contributed to this fragmentation and…

An estimated 11 percent of American children live with at least one parent who abuses or is addicted to alcohol and/or drugs. Parental addiction is a significant factor in child abuse and neglect, with studies suggesting that 40 to 80 percent of families in the child welfare systems are affected by it. With appropriate treatment, many of these…

This paper explains the mission of the Institute of Education Sciences and outlines the activities the Institute is undertaking. It also shares the reflections of the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences on the fit, and sometimes misfit, between the current activities of the education research community and the needs of practitioners…

This paper details the efforts of four organizations that have been able to negotiate their environments effectively, in the hopes that the analysis provides insights into how organizations are able to establish valuable learning environments for youth in nonschool hours. The negotiation, the process of dealing with various layers of environments…

This report contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2003.1 The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (StLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and…

This study explored the mechanics of using an enhanced, comprehensive multipurpose logic model, the Performance Blueprint, as a means of building evaluation capacity, referred to in this paper as performance measurement literacy, to facilitate the attainment of both service-delivery oriented and community-oriented outcomes. The application of this…

This guide provides parents of children with special needs information on opportunities to develop and apply leadership skills in Colorado. Introductory material considers the nature of parent leadership, the various roles of parent leaders, and ways to learn leadership skills. The next section describes specific parent leadership opportunities at…