Poverty and unemployment aren't spread evenly across cities or regions, but rather are concentrated in disinvested urban neighborhoods and rural communities around the country. These communities are home to the nation's most vulnerable children and families. Despite some signs of improvement in economic conditions for families in the United…

In May 2007, leaders from national organizations and local communities gathered to renew their commitment to deepen their organizations' dedication to community schools. They developed a strategic plan, described herein, that will achieve the goals of sustaining and strengthening existing school initiatives; grow new community schools initiatives;…

Operation Rescue is a teacher-initiated and -managed early intervention program to identify and help potential dropouts. The program relies upon establishing one-to-one friendships between at-risk children and volunteers. Cooperation with community groups promotes the goal of "local groups solving local problems." Operation Rescue…

Discusses how a professional opinion poll can be used in public libraries to persuade politicians to support a more favorable allocation of resources. Provides a specific example and notes the importance of constant vigilance, informal regional pollsters, and using polls not sponsored by the library (AEF)

The Goals 2000: Educate America Act calls for partnerships across local, state, and federal levels. This document offers suggestions for community organization to achieve the national education goals. The first section includes information on forming a steering committee, creating task forces, avoiding turf battles and finger pointing, defining…

This bulletin highlights the comprehensive community action program developed in Fayette County, Kentucky, to lower vandalism. The program was begun several years ago and involves participation by local businesses, clubs, schools, and the police department. School assemblies, a student workbook, slides, films, contests, and a public media campaign…

Guidelines and ideas for creating successful school/community projects are provided in this handbook. Organized like a cookbook, the book contains 43 chapters by individual contributors who take a community-based approach to education, in which the schools are the pivotal institutions of a community. The first section outlines the roles, or…

Illinois School District 151 is the first Northern court ordered desegregated school system. Prior studies indicate that community members do not support the district. This Title III project has as its major goal to increase the areas of support and reduce the areas of nonsupport, in order to provide an invigorating stimulating educational…

The director of education for the National Urban League discusses urban education needs, the negative feelings of Blacks toward vocational education, and the need for a coalition of vocational education advocates with positive attitudes toward Black participation in vocational programs with community support. (MF)

This paper reports on the progress of eight Chicago-based community initiatives designed to redefine social services and broaden social responsibility for the development of children and families. The paper has three sections describing: (1) general background on the children, youth, and families initiative; (2) early lessons from an initiative in…

This paper examines strategies for state and local leaders to finance supports and services for young children and their families in the wake of welfare reform. It focuses on strategies for revenue reform and for creating public/private partnerships to provide decision makers with current and relevant information on a variety of effective tools…

The publication contains descriptions of 20 Office of Economic Opportunity Youth Development Programs (YDPs). The program models represent a cross-section of program emphases. Many involve multiple program or project areas which is characteristic of the YDP. As illustrated by the models, one of the basic aspects of the YDPs is that of coordinating…

Describes the organization and planning by labor unions, government agencies, and vocational educators from schools, colleges, institutes, and skill centers in Mansfield, Ohio to provide vocational counseling and retraining for more than 900 unemployed rubber workers. Includes information on other retraining programs and reflections on the need…

This paper describes the Lower Price Hill Community School, located in a low-income neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, suggesting that the school's history and operation offer practical steps for improving education for Appalachian people. Conditions faced by urban Appalachians, many of whom migrated to cities following World War II are described…