Aurora, a village of 147 residents in north central Kansas, was the focus of a 1978 investigation of the community development potential for Kansas rural villages. Students and staff from the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare worked with community residents to identify three programs the village wanted (a recreation program, a…

Describes the California Community Colleges' goal to advance the state's economic growth through quality economic development programs. Discusses the importance of assessment and presents the results of an outcome evaluation, stating that California will collect $1.42 in taxes over the next 10 years for every dollar it spent on economic…

Presents a case study of participatory evaluation which suggests an evaluation method which not only provides meaningful data for decision makers but also provides important feedback to the community. Shows the steps leading to self-evaluation workshops and reviews the evaluation methods that were utilized. (Author/CT)

This report summarizes a postconference evaluation of the "Linking Family and Community Strengths" conference, held in Louisville, Kentucky, in June 1996, and describes 12 community projects based on conference lessons. Six months after the conference, an evaluation was completed by 100 of 192 participants. The conference aimed to…

A 5-phase plan was initiated in New York's Schuyler County to develop a Community Resources Development (CRD) program which would bring about communication, educate citizens, and build leadership. This was a joint effort involving county citizens and organizations, a county extension agent, a regional CRD specialist, the resources at both the land…

Discusses three simulation games focusing on social and economic interaction that can be used to enhance understanding and sensitivity in development studies training: the Green Revolution Game (rural development in India), Exaction (a whole national society game commissioned by the World Bank), and Africulture (a new game about labor-scarce…

This chapter reports on the activities of the Rural Continuing Education Centre (CREPA), a nongovernmental organization run by volunteers from small agricultural villages in the Las Villas area of Salamanca, Spain. The organization was founded in 1983 with the goal of improving living conditions and community life for villagers through social…

This report describes and evaluates the Colorado Rural Revitalization Project (CRRP). CRRP was established in 1988 as an experimental approach to institutional collaboration to provide community development services among selected rural communities of less than 5,000 people. CRRP consisted of a partnership among rural Colorado communities,…

Servol (Service Volunteered for All) is a voluntary organization in Trinidad and Tobago with a staff of some 90 people engaged in a wide range of activities grouped in seven Life Centers and a periphery of 13 nursery schools, as well as family farm units in a rural area. From a modest start in late 1970, Servol has grown steadily during its first…

In an effort to understand the successful components of small community development projects in selected New York communities of less than 10,000 population, an analysis was made of the Sinclairville Project in Chautauqua County which rehabilitated an unused school building to function as a housing unit for senior citizens. Originally a group of…

Presents observations and lessons drawn from two years of Kentucky school reform. Implementing the Kentucky School Reform Act of 1990 teaches that reforming schools also requires addressing the ways in which communities raise their children. Community work, with parent and student participation, improves family conditions and political decision…

The Model Cities Program is discussed in this report in terms of neighborhood revitalization, citizen participation, and funding. The effects of the program, as a Federal intervention in the social, political and economic problems of the urban poor, are described. The operational effectiveness of the program's participatory mechanisms designed to…

This report reviews activities carried out from 1980 to 1982 under Project Education and Community Development, a home intervention program designed to enhance the social and educational environment of minority group families in Ofakim, Israel. After a brief introduction (Part I), the accomplishments of each component program are considered…

Provides some ideas for involving schools in community revitalization developed in a 1987 conference for 20 educators and community representatives of the Chicago (Illinois) Innovations Forum. Projects center on the following topics: (1) students and teachers; (2) teachers; (3) courses; (4) in-school venture; (5) facilities; and (6) purchasing.…

This paper reports the evaluation of a project undertaken by the Sarawak Education Department to improve the quality of education in upper primary classes in rural Sarawak, Malaysia. The project is known officially as the Programme for Learning Enrichment, and commonly as the Van Leer Project, after the international agency which provides the main…