At one Wisconsin middle school, a successful student motivator is an improv troupe that develops and performs unscripted, improvisational skits about social issues affecting adolescents. Skits stop at a critical decision-making point or show the devastating effects of a negative choice. Discussion reinforces the message. (MLH)

Student workshops can complement coursework in the academic disciplines and provide field training for public health, social work, urban planning, and other professions. This article describes three community-planning workshops for college students: a community planning workshop in rural east central Illinois, a neighborhood revitalization project…

Community schools come in all shapes and sizes, offering wide-ranging support and opportunities for children, families, and the greater community. Elementary principals from several rural and urban community schools explain how close-knit community partnerships created campuses that involved parents, energized teachers, and enhanced children's…

An Oklahoma high school is striving to integrate activities, attitudes, and academics. The school broadens curriculum by involving students in its performance, governance, service, and instruction via sports activities, job-related organizations, course-related clubs, membership groups, and school-service and government clubs open to all students.…

Established in 1994 at the University of Florida, the Reubin O'Donovan Askew Institute on Politics and Society has focused its energies on reinvigorating civic culture and revitalizing community building in Florida. This article discusses civic culture in Florida, Florida's evolution in the twentieth century, development of the institute, and its…

Describes how Holy Family College in Northeast Philadelphia, an "Implementing Urban Missions" grantee, created and maintained an urban nursing center. Discusses the challenges of translating one department's experience with a community partnership into the context of other academic departments. (EV)

The value of teacher education is being questioned at the same time as schools are facing the challenges of budget shortfalls and unfunded mandates. Efforts to professionalize teaching are being undermined by overly authoritarian control of the curriculum and test-driven reforms. But schools of education do know how to stay the course. This…

This essay describes how University of Alaska Anchorage (a) mapped academic-based engagement activities into its institutional context and mission and (b) explored academic and administrative leadership strategies to reflect its commitment to engagement. Higher education governing bodies, legislators, administrators, and faculty increasingly…

Cambridge Health Alliance's Volunteer Health Advisor (VHA) Program was developed to create an effective and cost efficient outreach network to improve community health status. The program's mission is to improve community health by working collaboratively with faith-based and community-based organizations to recruit, train, and support a…

A visual tool used to evaluate instructional program performance has been designed by the University of Hawaii Community College system. The tool combines features from traffic lights, blood-chemistry test reports, and industry production control charts, and is labeled the Program Health-Indicator Chart. The tool was designed to minimize the labor…

The Peer Review Workgroup of the Community-Engaged Scholarship for Health Collaborative developed a novel set of quality community-engaged scholarship characteristics and a resource package aimed at two primary audiences: faculty seeking promotion or tenure based on community-engaged scholarship; and review, promotion, and tenure committee members…

Which factors promote student transfer from California Community Colleges (CCC) to baccalaureate-granting institutions? How do community college practices support this transition? Which student behaviors and characteristics particularly facilitate their movement to four-year colleges and universities? The Research and Planning Group for California…

Developed as a reference tool for the Commission to Study the Future of Community Colleges in Kentucky, this collection of articles and reports examines all aspects of the Kentucky Community College System (KCCS), and includes extensive discussion questions for use by the Commission members in their work. The opening section reviews planned…

The 12 articles in this monograph discuss the value of informal learning for children, and suggest how basic skills can be reinforced at school, home, and within community groups and institutions. Promising programs, practices, and activities for children are highlighted. Topics addressed include: (1) a rationale for a rededication to a holistic…

This guide consists of suggestions, ideas, and tips intended to stimulate development of cooperative summer youth employment programs in local communities. Addressed in the individual sections of the guide are the following topics: tips on where to start, suggestions on how to get started, hints on securing resources, program resources, use of…