The Pasadena (California) Independent School District developed a four-pronged approach for responding to campus emergencies and improving communication channels: establishing a chain of command, developing an onsite crisis team, converting the superintendent's office to a crisis command center, and assembling a district crisis-management team.…

Alberta, Canada, welcomed nearly 16,000 landed immigrants in 2003, of whom more than half came to the Calgary area. Approximately 200,000 immigrants of various ethnic and cultural groups now live in the region. Many of these new arrivals have no natural support networks while struggling with language, cultural, and economic barriers. Recognizing…

This column is about a city with two tales--one of spin and the other of sputter. No matter who occupies the White House for the next four years, the past four have borne witness to some of the most ludicrous uses of taxpayer money ever, as the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has tried to spin its message on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) across…

The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a school-reform law closely aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB); a civil rights law; and a "cousin" of the 1996 welfare reform law. By imposing new or strengthened accountability expectations on students with disabilities and their parents, the…

This article reports on the aggressive and sometimes creative steps the Education Department has taken, since President Bush came to town in 2001, to promote its agenda to the public, including its support for school choice options such as charter schools and for Mr. Bush's signature program, the No Child Left Behind Act. The department has spent…

With the departure in January 2006 of the first head of the Department of Education's office of innovation and improvement, those who follow the 3 and a half-year-old-office are wondering whether it will continue to play a prominent role in federal policy or whether its influence will fade. Nina Shokraii Rees, a former aide to Vice President Dick…

Although the concept of person-centered services has gained much popularity, there are significant discrepancies in the extent to which service agencies are actually implementing it. Eight organizations, each of which was successfully providing person centered services to at least some individuals, were examined. Some agencies were implementing…

The themes of collaboration and partnership lie at the heart of the vision of a range of UK initiatives designed to tackle social exclusion. However, the benefits are extolled and the costs to community groups are minimized. Some of the problems and possibilities for the involvement of community groups in partnerships are considered. Partnerships…

Values inquiry refers to systematic investigation of the values relevant to a program, including understanding those outcomes most prized by stakeholders. Although much attention has been given to stakeholder involvement, the literature on value inquiries per se as an approach is limited. This paper demonstrates how several of the steps used in…

This paper discusses the formation, character and contradictions of social partnerships. We report on a specific initiative, the Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLEN) established by the Victorian Government in Australia in 2001, documenting the nature of this initiative and how it is playing out. We draw attention to some of the tensions…

This paper examines the work in education of Michael Sadler (1861-1943). It covers his early years in Oxford, his time as director of the Department of Special Inquiries and Reports, his periods as professor of education in Manchester and as vice-chancellor in Leeds, and his return to Oxford as Master of University College, and it assesses the…

This article describes the replication efforts of five programs funded by the Pritzker Early Childhood Foundation and determines what methods are key to replication success. Before replication can take place, the lead agency must have substantial evidence of its effectiveness and know its core elements. It must also think carefully about how its…

Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Its survey shows that local arts agencies typically serve their communities through programming to the public, services to artists and arts organizations, and developing and managing cultural facilities. Community colleges share many of the…

This article responds to "Do Social Workers Make Better Child Welfare Workers than Non-Social Workers?" by Dr. Robin E. Perry. The article articulates National Association of Social Workers' support for a professional social work labor force to serve children and their families and for continued federal investment in the training of these workers.…

Researchers are grappling with the challenges of implementing evidence-based practice in community organizations. This article reviews factors that facilitate the use of evidence-based practice in community settings along with future steps necessary for successful translation of knowledge into community agencies. Social workers are uniquely…