Literacy and access to quality literacy instruction and resources is an issue of equity and an issue of social justice. Being literate represents the difference between inclusion in and exclusion from society. Examining how literacy experiences are being provided to children is critical to fulfilling this basic human right. This guide--written…

Authentic community engagement involves substantive give and take with those outside the college who have an interest in the decisions that are made, or who potentially have a role to play in strengthening the college's work. Such engagement efforts begin with a commitment to building new or improved forms of partnership across various silos and…

Family engagement is essential to high quality services for all children in early childhood care and education. From the beginning of life, families nurture their children and the capacities they will need to be ready for school. The Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework for Early Childhood Systems is a guide to understanding…

When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students' education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller "School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action," presents tools and guidelines to help develop more…

When the bell rings at the end of a school day, millions of children are left to their own devices while they wait for their families to return home at the end of the work day. Findings from a study conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, "America After 3PM," show that 15.1 million children are unsupervised when the school day ends. The…

Outlines steps that must be taken for a school to implement a Walkabout experiential learning program in a community. (IRT)

Drawing on their own experiences, the authors suggest starting a program for gifted children by developing community support, choosing an appropriate type of program, assessing staff perceptions of the need for the program, identifying gifted students, developing a curriculum, involving the faculty, securing funding, and choosing the evaluation…

This article offers suggestions for and examples of fundraising activities for community-based education programs. Topics addressed include: (1) the importance of fundraising and the advantages of being self-sufficient; (2) recommendations on planning fundraising activities and on planning campaigns to publicize the activities; and (3) approaches…

This handbook was designed to assist advisory councils, program staff and administrators, and community members in planning community education programs and in managing those programs effectively. Chapter I defines and describes planning: what it is, why it is used, and how to engage in the process. The critical role of planning leaders is…

From 1988 to 1995, Partnerships for Change (PFC) led the way in developing innovative library service programs and forging new community partnerships. Today, many PFC principles--planning, needs assessment, valuing diversity, community linkages, public relations and evaluation--have been incorporated into how California public libraries plan for…

The author offers fourteen suggestions for a school or business education department public relations program. She states that the role of the business educator in public relations is to present the whole educational picture and to involve the community in education and the school. (MF)

Provides guidelines to involve the entire community in a successful reading fair, based on procedures followed in Newport News, Virginia. (RL)

This publication outlines approaches librarians may take to begin a literacy program in a public library or a literacy coalition in the community, and provides guidelines for writing a successful literacy grant application to fund the coalition. Ways in which a library may advance literacy and serve patrons for whom English is a second language…

Suggests five things to do and five not to do when closing schools, including encouraging community involvement, hiring professional consultants, establishing a citizen task force, creating an administrators' committee, publicizing reports and proposals, not claiming closures will save money, and not becoming overconfident. (RW)

Outlines ten steps that could be incorporated into training efforts to help new board members learn the ins and outs of school business. (WD)