In the West, the community movement emphasizes grass roots control. In developing countries, however, community movements often reinforce the centralizing tendencies of the emerging nation-states. These third world movements must become independent of plans imposed by national governments, and instead, develop networks of ties with other…

A political movement which overemphasizes the local community is likely to be counterproductive to progressive social changes. The growth and development of localism, contained in such concepts as community control and self-determination, can lead to intra-neigborhood political battles rather than to organization against wider social forces.…

This report reveals the results of studies made of three groups actively seeking community participation in school affairs in a city noted for its conservative school system. The study utilized participant observation supplemented by interviews and document analysis. Each group had only 15-30 active members and no broad base in the community. All…

To say that community control is democratic means that such control is consistent with the ideas of the democratic tradition. Even so, participation is hampered by the "natural" apathy of people. But the fact of apathy has too little research as to its causes to be well understood; perhaps, apathy is a rational response to a society which…

The recommendations of Scotland's 1975 Alexander Report for increasing adult education participation and Tom Lovett's development of a social action model with working class adults in Liverpool and Ireland are used as background to an examination of Scottish projects that use a community work approach to involve nonparticipating adults in…

Suggests that in deciding what should be written into the franchise of cable television and to whom it should be given, local groups can have their first and perhaps greatest influence over the way cable will affect their community. (JM)

The author argues that direct citizen participation cannot influence educational policy or restore the power of lay boards in public education. Asserting that more can be accomplished by a technically trained organization working within the bureaucracy, he cites the accomplishments of the Education Clearinghouse, a nonprofit group of…

This annotated bibliography was compiled as a library research project at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Part I of the listing deals with decentralization as a structural feature of the local political system. Part II examines the process of local citizen participation. Parts III and IV focus on community control in the decentralization…

This bibliography was compiled to provide scholars and practitioners with a comprehensive listing of materials related to urban neighborhoods as social, political, or economic units. The bibliography contains more than 200 citations of materials published in the late 70s and 1980. Each entry is accompanied by a summary and content codes which…

Acceptance or rejection of school policy hinges on the role played by formal and informal groups within the community power structure. Kimbrough's research suggests that formal groups are subordinate to the informal power structure in establishing policy, though formal groups make important contributions to decision-making. Some researchers…

This paper examines the functioning of the Public School Safety Commission that was established in a large west coast city to study the problem of violence in the city's public schools. The commission was established by the board of education in the spring of 1974 and issued its final report in July 1974. Over 60 community organizations,…

A vast number of different types of citizens' groups participate in the educational process with differing degrees of involvement. Besides school-oriented groups, there are child advocacy and neighborhood associations, other citizens groups that have broad concerns but are in part interested in schools, and the advisory committees created by legal…

Research on District Decentralized Title I ESEA programs reveals conflict among school officials, community representatives, and community agencies. School officials mistrust and poorly communicate with community representatives. Community agencies compete for the economic resources brought by decentralization, while overlooking the main objective…