Reviews the history of citizens' advisory councils and the attitudes toward them, the uses to which they are put, common problems they pose for principals, and their potential for contributing to the schools. Notes that principals usually view such councils negatively, and that principals' attitudes determine council effectiveness. (PGD)

This toolkit helps community-based organizations create a community guide to the school budget, demystifying school finance for citizens and engaging them in the process of using the school budget as a tool for school improvement. It explains the major steps organizations have used in their own initiatives, offering advice and examples of tools.…

Citizen involvement in education has increased in the last two decades as schools have sought to involve their communities in school matters. An increasing number of schools have formed partnerships with citizens and local businesses to provide volunteers, funding, and expertise to benefit students. Developing partnerships with local citizens and…

This collection of briefs comprises a guide to minority-activity planning designed by the Steering Committee for Minority Communications of the Westinghouse Foundation. They are intended to further the following Westinghouse goals: (1) to encourage youth to pursue careers in technology; (2) to develop strong links with the minority community; (3)…

In rural areas the responsibility for good school-community relations rests with the principal, who must develop a strategy for community relations, understand the people of the community and their values, and know their formal and informal leaders. School principals can use various strategies to increase community involvement. They can simply…

Offers information useful to educators interested in implementing community-service programs. Provides estimates of students' participation in community service in U. S. high schools; describes the nature of the programs and students' experiences; and reports data which illustrate that the potential for influencing civic responsibility may not yet…

Public education today involves various citizen groups, state agencies, service organizations, interest groups, institutions of higher education, and other constituencies who influence policies and assist districts with finances, materials, and personnel. This bulletin discusses strategies for organizing these groups into a coalition that…

Considers the arguments advanced for an expansion of academic programs incorporating service learning. Briefly describes several programs in relation to the validity of these arguments. Suggests that geography could benefit from incorporating elements of service learning in order to enhance its treatment of ethical issues. (MJP)

A collection of papers, from the Centre for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia (CENDHRRA) Evaluation Seminar (1980) in Bandungan, Central Java, provides guidelines for evaluation of rural development projects of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The first part of the report contains a summary of group discussions on different…

Maintains that community enterprise projects help students develop academic, personal, and transferable skills, while enabling underfunded not-for-profit groups to achieve some of their goals. Provides several examples of programs and suggests methods of improvement. (MJP)

The extent of any community's citizen involvement in education depends largely on its administrators and school board. Pennsylvania's Long Range Planning for School Improvement identifies six reasons for desiring community involvement, including providing citizens the opportunity to understand school board operating plans and giving the board the…

Maintains that civic competence and socially responsible behavior have been among the 10 developmental tasks of adolescence since the 1950s. Contends that the decline of interest in political socialization must be shared by both political science and developmental psychology. Discusses community service as a measure of civic competence. (CFR)