Community development and adult learning have long shared a common agenda--and often a common fate. People in both sectors are concerned with supporting people to develop their skills and knowledge, and to put them to use in the world around them. They often share a belief in social justice and democratic process as guiding principles for their…

This essay discusses the need for reform of American public school education as part of a general process of social reform. The author argues that the old image of the school as a "factory" in which the student is regarded as a product to be processed must be reformed so that the school really does provide a quality education for all. The reform…

This paper describes two programs in Botswana and Zimbabwe in which manual work forms an integral part of the educational program. It analyzes their objectives and structure and discusses constraints against the background of socioeconomic change in the two countries. Differences are identified and discussed. The first two sections deal separately…

Examining the meaning of lifelong learning within the context of "community" (defined in terms of interests and locality), the author explores many learning resources and opportunities and identifies related research questions. The content of this study is presented in three sections. The first section on the community as a setting for…

The community college should be the catalyst to reverse the downward trend of community change. A community renewal college would serve as a change agent for the betterment of life conditions at the local level. Such a college would unite and improve the community by bringing its residents together and teaching them the attitudes, skills, and…

This document offers eight case studies - and a number of short profiles - documenting efforts in the United States and around the world, all connecting the dots between youth action and meaningful community change. The publication begins with reflections on why it is often so hard, especially in the United States, for young people to find the…

The Internet is a revolution unfolding before our eyes. There is concern that this revolution will increase class and racial differences and that a new digital divide between information haves and information have-nots will exacerbate existing levels of inequality in American society. This paper examines how the Internet has been tapped to deliver…

The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which community consensus existed regarding a variety of major changes in Pittsburgh and the extent to which widely differing perspectives of community leaders might contribute to conflict, or at least significant difficulties, on these issues. A pragmatic secondary objective was to…

The study documents what happened in 10 rural communities when a federal educational funding program (Experimental Schools) in 1972 provided 5-year grants for demonstration projects designed both to improve the school system and, through the schools, to address a variety of community needs. The study employs two strategies to document the ways in…