Context is important in facilitating healthy youth development. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adult perception of neighborhood and youth engagement in organized activities. This study is a secondary data analysis of 64,076 parents and guardians of school-age youth and adolescents (6-17 years), participating in…

Despite the increasing popularity and appeal of youth volunteer abroad (YVA) programmes, powerful critiques are emerging. While these programmes tend to promise much in the way of global ethics and global citizenship in youth participants, they often neglect to seriously interrogate the one-way movement of people from the centre to the periphery…

This longitudinal multi-institution study examines the effects of students' involvement in high school service clubs and their level of civic-mindedness when entering college on their propensity and intentions to volunteer during college. The level of civic-mindedness was measured by a self-rating of their ability to work effectively with others…

This article presents an interview with Mindy Duitz, president of Learning Leaders, an organization that supports teachers with volunteers in New York City's public schools so they could have more time. Among other things, Duitz discusses the history of Learning Leaders, its services, recruitment of volunteers, and communications strategies for…

The present study attempted to further existing literature on increasing safe driving practices through visual prompts by targeting turn signal use at a 4-way intersection. Drivers exiting a university parking garage were presented with a visual prompt ("Please Signal and Drive Safely") and then observed for turn signal use while entering an…

This report presents data on students in the United States attending kindergarten through grade 12. The main focus of the report is on parent and family involvement in the students' education during the 2011-12 school year as reported by the students' parents. It also includes the percentage of students who participated in selected family…

The effectiveness of dual-language book reading in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms is largely uncontested. Yet there are repeated calls for more research to determine how this resource can be used more broadly and effectively by teachers, especially in emergent-literacy learning contexts. In the present study we analysed…

A growing number of parents--particularly middle- and upper-middle-class parents--are working to fill budgetary gaps through their fundraising, grant writing, and volunteerism in urban public schools. Yet little is known about how this may shape norms and practices related to parental engagement within particular schools. Drawing from a case study…

Volunteering by higher education students in the UK has a long history which remains largely unexplored despite recent research and policy attention. This article offers a brief overview of the development of student volunteering before the 1960s and then discusses a shift from student social service to Student Community Action in the late 1960s…

On the face of it, the restoration of a classic car is an unlikely catalyst for community cohesion, but Nottingham City Council's Brough Superior project is a terrific demonstration of the difference learning can make not only to the lives of learners but also in breaking down barriers between individuals and giving them a sense of shared identity…

This article features several community college alumni who share how community colleges contributed to their success later in their lives and how they are inspired to give back. These outstanding alumni stress the importance of community and public service. They include: (1) Dr. Richard Carmona, U.S. Surgeon General from 2002 to 2006; (2) Colonel…

The frequency of formal volunteering varies widely across European countries, and rates of formal volunteering are especially low among Eastern European countries. Why are there such large differences in volunteering rates when it is known that volunteering is beneficial for well-being? Using data from the latest round of the European Social…

In past articles the author has talked about building imaginative outdoor play environments with the help of local community volunteers. In this article, he suggests another group of people who can add a unique layer of whimsy, surprise, and wonder to a playscape: Artists. There could be artists in the neighborhood who would love to join a…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document the benefits of volunteering perceived by older adults and to explain variation in these self-perceived benefits. Design and Methods: This is a quantitative study of 13 volunteer programs and 401 older adults serving in those programs. Program directors completed telephone interviews, and older…

The income tax-filing process creates teachable moments for learning about taxes and other financial matters. Educators and volunteers from Penn State Cooperative Extension helped taxpayers file 2008 returns under Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). Nearly 600 filers (588) completed and simultaneously received educational information…