Environmental education for all students is becoming more urgent as societies strive to deal with challenges such as climate change and loss of biodiversity. Teachers have an important role to play in defining the environmental knowledge, beliefs, and actions of the next generation. Understanding the anthropogenic inputs responsible for alteration…

At the 2006 National Association of Gifted Children Conference, a panel presentation addressed the importance of providing gifted children with opportunities to take positive social action through service-learning; this article is a result of that discussion. The Future Problem Solving Program (among others) has a community problem-solving…

The Center for Citizenship Education offers schools a plan for educating for action in the community. Such a program involves a nonpartisan, interdisciplinary approach to defining group values, learning about social change, and developing problem-solving skills. (SK)

Community organizing can encompass coalition building or community development, each of which represents steps in getting something done in a community. Before undertaking a project, it is important to figure out the exact problem the community is trying to address. From there, it can be determined how to address it, who else will be involved, and…

A conference in Washington, D.C., brought together leaders from six communities to share their strategies to mobilize residents to fight substance abuse problems. The actions taken by community groups and leaders in the following cities are described: Portland (Oregon); Hampton (Virginia); Baltimore (Maryland); New Haven (Connecticut); Newark (New…

The question of drug abuse prevention is examined in this booklet. Addressing itself to a variety of disciplines and professions, the book reveals the effectiveness of prevention programs implemented in classroom, school and community settings. It draws on the experiences of several dozen drug abuse prevention programs that were either visited or…

According to the United States Department of Labor, 73% of drug users in 1997 were employed. Numerous studies, reports, and surveys suggest that substance abuse is having a negative effect on the workplace in terms of decreased productivity; increased accidents; absenteeism; turnover; and medical costs. However, workplace substance abuse is a…

Programs in which the school, community, and police act jointly to prevent delinquency are described. Schools attempt to serve as a base of support for parents, students, and teachers. (JD)

Since 1988, thousands of rural villagers across Senegal have participated in a basic education program called TOSTAN, which means "breakthrough" in Wolof, the majority language. Supported by UNICEF and implemented in the six national languages of Senegal, TOSTAN goes beyond traditional literacy programs to link literacy learning with…

Prevention is the ultimate key to reversing the upward trend in the use of drugs and to empowering communities to address their drug problems. An essential factor is the development and implementation of initiatives to prevent illicit drug use. A goal of prevention for youth is to provide them with a set of skills and tools to help them resist the…

There are many issues concerning women of all ages and substance abuse. Women who abuse alcohol or other drugs are particularly at risk for sexual assault; unprotected sex; unwanted pregnancies; and sexually transmitted diseases. Females between the ages of 12 and 17 surpass males in their use of cigarettes; cocaine; crack; inhalants; and…

Issues and problems associated with university involvement in public sector activities and the knowledge transfer process are examined. After a brief statement of the state-of-the-art in knowledge transfer, attention is directed to one of the basic issues presented in the literature: the appropriateness and inappropriateness of university…