Almost everyone is familiar with the African saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." However, there are very few "villages" that actually engage in this practice. The educational assets of the village include the knowledge of neighborhood residents, the clubs, groups, and associations that are citizen-based learning…

The UK government seized the opportunity of the Trojan Horse affair to launch a damaging Islamophobic attack, eagerly relayed by a racist press, on the Muslim community in Birmingham and beyond, abusing Ofsted and the Prevent strategy as blatant instruments of ideologically-driven policy. The various reports found no evidence of radicalisation or…

Sara McAlister, in her article "Why Community Engagement Matters in School Turnaround," in this issue (p35-42) of "Voices in Urban Education," lays out the strong research base showing that family and community participation is a crucial resource not only for individual student achievement, but also for catalyzing and…

Education must be seen as continuous with life, not only schooling but living and learning in home, school, community business, or profession. (JD)

Community education, a process-oriented, community-based concept, should help bridge the gap between the school and the community. The linkage should prove that the schools belong to the people and that community resources need to be harnessed to serve the educational, social, and recreational needs of the people. Community education makes full…

This paper addresses the nature of educational reform and recommends strategies to better reflect the needs of rural schools and their communities. The furor over education reform is largely produced by those who stand to gain from it, including politicians who promote their own agendas and consultants, professors, and experts who make a good…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990, which champions arts education as an integral component of a holistic curriculum and assessment process, encourages schools to make use of resources from the community, including arts and cultural organizations, artists, folklorists, and craftspeople. This broadened approach to education provides…

This document describes the industrial decline in a small Midwestern town and its effect on education and the local economy. While some people refused to see a problem, others saw that the decline would continue until the town school closed and community services dwindled. The paper calls for new solutions to rural education and economic problems,…

This practicum report presents a detailed account of a project by an elementary school principal in designing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive improvement program to alleviate problems which have occurred as a result of the transitional state of the neighborhood at the Clara Barton Public School, in the school district of…

Educational reform poses problems for administrators in rural areas who have limited time and resources. This guide offers a process that can be used by rural administrators to engage the community in activities that will enhance children's success in the classroom and in their adult lives. Section 1 discusses the importance of community…

This document explores the application of the community education process to restructuring activities at both the state and local level. The monograph contains the following papers: "In the Forefront of Restructuring" (Larry Decker, Valerie Romney); "Building Learning Communities: Realities of Educational Restructuring" (Larry…

The first of two parts of the career education primer focuses on the following aspects of career education: the need for the refocusing of educational systems toward career education; ways of incorporating career development elements, life activities, and a democratic ethic into career education programs; methods of including parents, families,…

This report examines the use of community-based support to facilitate curriculum renewal efforts in small rural school districts. Interviews with educators from five school districts in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington describe three approaches to curriculum renewal: community-initiated approaches, state-directed reform efforts, and…