Among the many notable features of Coos County, New Hampshire, is the region's high level of community engagement and a rich civic culture. Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) surveys by the Carsey Institute have shown that nearly one-fourth of adults in the community report membership in a civic or fraternal organization, and an…

Inauthentic participation may be limited to providing inputs, giving the community no power. However, even weak participation in the form of utilization, contributions, enlistment, cooperation, and consultation can have benefits. (Author/SK)

Interprets Saul Alinsky's contribution to community development through three themes: community cohesiveness as one goal of community organization; political participation and goal of broadening community participation in city-wide decision making; and the use of nonviolent conflict in unifying diverse local interests and effectively bargaining…

The first rule for setting up and working with an advisory is to know that their advice is needed and should be valued. An advisory ensures that advice is received from segments of the community that usually have no voice in policy making. The purpose of the advisory should be established immediately. Familiarization with holidays, vacations,…

Discriminates between "community architecture" and conventional approaches to architecture. Focuses on community architecture as it relates to the participation of users in their environment, the establishment of partnerships between specialists from different fields, and the evolutionary development of people's environmental needs. (TW)

This model, developed and tested in Vermont, involved a two-day assembly using a technique concentrating on small-group dynamics to encourage productive community assessment and decision-making. Included are exhaustive documentation of an example assembly to consider options for integrating human and environmental requirements in Vermont as a…

This report describes an experimental program in which civilians and police officers work as two-person teams, patrolling fixed "beat" areas in selected urban neighborhoods. These teams work in responding to service calls, aiding regular mobile patrols in their duties, deterring criminal activity and civilian victimization, and…

Asserts that community colleges have recreated themselves over the last 100 years in response to the changing American economy. Explains that the new need for community colleges to fulfill the local communities' economic needs calls for renewed civic participation in the colleges. Describes Maricopa Community College District's Civic Participation…

An examination of several school systems across the country offering community education programs provided information for this report on successful management techniques and unique program ideas, featuring tips from experts and a number of "how-to" suggestions. Drawing particularly on the experiences of administrators with programs in Flint,…

Described is the community-wide approach to a unified energy conservation plan for Davis, California. The plan has involved solar technology and use of bicycles as a major mode of transportation. Policy implementation in the form of energy conservation ordinances is reviewed. (RE)

Although parents and citizens in each community should be encouraged to participate in the educational policy-making process, it has been shown that public access to school board meetings is thwarted in many subtle ways. To gain information that would help to balance the interests of privacy and public access in every school district, the State…

This discussion guide is designed to help people examine the state of work in their community, explore changes, and strategize about what they can do to forge creative solutions and improve the community's worklife. It is especially appropriate for use in a study circle setting. The discussion materials are arranged into four sessions: (1) the…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper presents an educational planning model which incorporates citizen involvement at the local level and provides a more responsive and efficient vocational education system. In the first section techniques are discussed for encouraging community participation, such as general…

No institution is better positioned to address the problems facing today's communities than the community college. The colleges are community-based and, through community-based programming (CBP), can place themselves at the center of the organizations and institutions, and collaborate with formal or informal leaders devoted to resolving community…

Each of the nine papers in this collection focuses on a key issue in community education, examining relevant literature and research, and suggesting challenges for community educators. Topics are the following: (1) four major areas regarding collaboration: commitment, competition and creating, conflict, and collaboration as a problem rather than a…