A method called multi-attribute utility analysis (MAUA) provides a decision-making framework that facilitates comparative analysis of multiple real-world decision alternatives with unique complex attributes. Utility analysis as a measure of effectiveness has been minimally used by educational researchers to date, despite clear relevance in complex…

There are many models and examples of family-school-community partnerships. Local to Savannah, Georgia, Parent University is a unique community organization designed to support, guide, and empower parents and their children (from birth to 18 years old) to build bridges between the community and the schools. This nonprofit has successfully…

Georgia 4-H has been partnering with public schools for over 100 years to provide youth development programming for elementary, middle, and high schools. In 2013, a new state accountability system required the addition of career exploration lessons in elementary schools. Georgia 4-H staff and faculty developed a career curriculum taught by county…

A prevalent misconception is that reading must be a solitary endeavor. This view of reading creates an instant aversion for many teens who tend to be social creatures. This article discusses how Kristen Deuschle, the district media specialist for Forsyth County Schools in Cumming, Georgia, combined two of her passions--community outreach and…

Over the last two years, University of Georgia students and faculty members have worked with community leaders in Sandersville and surrounding Washington County to tackle some of the area's most pressing problems, among them, reversing a doctor shortage and improving air quality to meet federal standards. Their work is part of an effort, now in…

This article examines the benefits and challenges a college president faces when attempting to cultivate relationships with the community in which the college resides. Throughout history, the relationships between institutions of higher education and the communities that house them have often been turbulent, but much good can be realized when true…

What happens when teams from 57 cities building afterschool systems gather to discuss two key system responsibilities--improving afterschool programs and using data for informed decision-making? Lots of rich discussion. This report covers a national afterschool conference held in February 2013. It details what mayors, program providers, system…

A very successful artist-in-education program in which jazz musicians introduced elementary students in Augusta (Georgia) to jazz music is described. Students were involved in many activities, including instrumental improvisation, singing, reading staff notation, choreography, and composing jazz. (RM)

This article focuses on the development of the Transforming Community Project, which draws staff, students, and faculty into discussing the history of race at Emory University and in the United States. The project's creation followed a difficult year of racial strife and suspicion at Emory that was unprecedented in its recent history. The strain…

An urban American university, Georgia Institute of Technology, established a campus-community coalition to reduce high risk drinking, its harms and second-hand effects among university students and residents of the Atlanta community. The Atlanta-based institution was part of a ten-year, ten-university project, A Matter of Degree (AMOD),…

A community education project in Brooks County, Georgia, began in 1977 with five people, developed county-wide support, and now includes a community education county council, federal funding, volunteer programs, after-school programs, agricultural education (especially swine production), and a day-care center. (AN)

Citizen participation and community education are critical to encouraging attractive and sustainable growth. The Alliance for Quality Growth (AQG), housed at the University of Georgia, was formed to increase awareness and understanding of the wide variety of planning and growth management tools available, including the charrette, a proven…

Changing the environment that affects decisions about use of alcohol and other drugs has emerged as a key to reducing substance use problems among college and university students. The student environment, however, is not limited to the campus. Education, counseling, and campus-based prevention policies and activities cannot succeed if a campus is…

The "Horizons" project features model programs, national data collection and dissemination, and an information clearinghouse. In addition, "Horizons" provides professional development opportunities and technical assistance through regional workshops on service learning and civic responsibility, chief academic officer summits,…