Because researchers know so much more about the brain and development than they did when the 20th-century U.S. education system was designed, this knowledge can now be used to design a system in which all individuals are able to take advantage of high-quality opportunities for transformative learning and development. This playbook suggests a set…

A community forum provides a setting and a structure for people to deliberate on issues. School district forums organized by the Center for School Study Councils are characterized by diverse participation; and a structure that encourages deliberation and clear outcomes. (MLF)

The Documentation and Technical Assistance Project (DTA) was created, in part, to test a premise related to educational problem-solving. It was hypothesized that knowledge gained through on-site documentation of school level problem solving practices could be transformed for utilization (linkage) by other schools and communities to improve the…

The school design process depends on open communication and the participation of various constituencies or customers. Today's architects use a variety of strategies to make sure they build the schools communities want. Describes approaches used by three architects. (MLF)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife created the NatureMapping Program through a partnership with the Washington Cooperative Research Unit Gap Analysis Project (WCRUGAP). This program enables volunteers to collect environmental data that are valuable to governments and communities for problem solving and decision making. (Author/SAH)

This report proposes a new framework for understanding the different governance approaches taken by Local School Councils (LSCs) throughout the Chicago Public Schools, based on data collected during the 1991-92 school year. Meeting supervisors covered 155 council meetings at 14 randomly selected, representative schools, and interviewed principals,…

This booklet discusses the importance of involving members of the community in public school programs and activities and presents brief profiles of current school programs and policies that are attempting to do so. The author examines in detail the kinds and extent of parent and community interaction with the schools and describes what different…

Since 1978 federal legislation and regulations have required that Teacher Corps projects involve the participation of elected councils of at least seven members representative of the parents and other residents of the communities within the boundaries of the project schools. This booklet provides materials intended to assist in the organization…

Nine locally initiated projects designed to improve the connections for problem solving between urban schools and the community were examined. Results showed that the desired school/community connections were difficult to achieve and seemed fragile and vulnerable. A new approach to school reform in urban schools is suggested. (AOS)

The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) watershed education program is unique from other water monitoring programs because it emphasizes action-oriented and problem-solving approaches based on an interdisciplinary education and extensive networking with others traveling down a similar path. This sourcebook offers guidance based…

This book addresses the subject of environmental education in the context of educational and social change. It focuses on the synthesis of action research and community problem solving in the context of education. The result, Action Research and Community Problem Solving (ARCPS), can be defined as a process that enables students and teachers to…

A study circle is a group of diverse members of a community who meet with a facilitator to find common ground for solutions and actions. The Study Circles Resource Center proposes a program of Community-Wide Study Circles to talk about student success and develop ideas for action in the community and schools. This brochure provides a rational for…

The author describes and analyzes the "dialogue workshop" as a major activity for facilitating cooperative communication and problem solving among students, teachers, and parents. This article is part of a theme issue on community education in Hawaii. (Editor/SJL)

The executive director of Public Agenda describes the seven-stage journey toward public consensus, underlines the importance of genuine public involvement, and provides some common-sense principles to guide those seeking to foster public engagement. Reform-minded educators should listen carefully, create an ongoing process, seek diverse…

Mentorships, the art of a creatively productive person teaching, counseling, and inspiring a student with similar interests, can be the result of circumstance or they can be the result of mentorship programs engineered in the academic world. Data collected from over 25 different academic models of mentorship have been distilled into 7 key steps to…