Researchers and policymakers are increasingly interested in the issue of school accountability. Despite this, program standards for afterschool programs are not as fully developed as they are in other fields. This study bridges that gap and presents the results from a study that identifies benchmarks and indicators for high quality afterschool…

The Library Rural Literacy Outreach Program targeted to ten rural communities in the Fresno County, California, Free Library district is reported. The sites were chosen based on inquiries from volunteers in those communities and support for the program by the branch library staff. Goals of the program were to provide literacy services to adult…

Public schools are often faced, when engaged in the task of developing annual goals, with the necessity of soliciting public input. To gather reliable input from the school community has been haphazard and uneven. Consolidated High School District 230 (Palos Hills, Illinois) employed the Public Opinion Laboratory, a professional survey firm, to…

This program assessment instrument was developed for use by educators and community representatives in evaluating secondary school reading programs and in establishing program goals. Using a rating scale of (1) not started, (2) started/little progress, (3) some progress, (4) almost achieved, and (5) achieved, the instrument covers the following…

This publication presents case studies of school buildings to demonstrate the application of a post occupancy evaluation (POE) during various stages of the design and planning process. It explains that because POE is a process for gathering information about a building in use, it can be applied effectively both to renovation and expansion projects…

This paper describes the development of a partnership project in New Castle County, Delaware, which teams scientists and other technical specialists with elementary teachers to enrich science activities in the teachers' classrooms. Interest in the project has evolved from a small, structured pilot program with 12 volunteers to a wide ranging…

Noting that although the benefits of working closely with parents and families are widely recognized, many schools do not enjoy close partnerships with their communities, this document describes the Taking Stock program, which is intended to help develop more extensive, creative, and responsive strategies for collaboration. The goals of the…

Pacific principals' perceived priority needs for professional development are examined. Mailed surveys of 439 principals in 10 jurisdictions yielded 243 responses, or a 55 percent response rate. Respondents rated themselves on task effectiveness and professional development needs. Results indicate a need for information concerning community…

During the months of November 1987 through February 1988, the Colorado Springs Public Schools, District 11, designed and implemented a community survey. The survey was conducted to determine community perceptions of public education in the district, assess community expectations for the schools, determine community attitudes toward current…

The third year evaluation of the Richmond County (VA) Arts Program focused on one major question: What is the impact of the Arts Program on the curriculum, students, and teachers? Data from all three years of the program were used to assess impact. Since 1978, more students participated in the art and music curriculum, with opportunities for…

This report describes approaches used by schools to prevent or reduce gang involvement among schools. The study of gang prevention and intervention builds on a large-scale National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools. A sample of 1,279 schools participated in the study. Overall, 7.6% of the male and 3.8% of the female secondary students…

The concept of Self-managing schools involving local community members, teachers and parents with the formation of School Management Committee is gaining ground in Nepal after the world conference on education for all (WCEFA) held in Jomtien, Thailand in the year 1990. Transferring the management of public schools in the hand of willing community…

This qualitative study conducted in urban Miami, Florida, explored the essence of juvenile delinquency and recidivism: its causes, its relations to communities, the roles of families, and the myriad roles of residential treatment programs at rehabilitating young offenders. Data were collected from nine young adult participants who had satisfied…

The purpose of the current study is to explore the effects of community service work and community involvement on perceptions of self-entitlement--expectations of others to do things for oneself--among undergraduate students. Over the course of a 16-week semester, 26 randomly selected subjects (20 community college psychology students and six…

The case study described here was conducted as a doctoral research project at Northern Arizona University. The study documents the success of the Shuswop Indian Band of Alkali Lake, British Columbia (Canada), in their 15-year battle with alcoholism, once the people themselves decided on recovery. The study looks back at the 95 percent recovery…