This paper introduces the Connecticut Community Conversations project and discusses the origins of the partnership between Public Agenda and the Graustien Memorial Fund in Connecticut. It describes Public Agenda's model of community dialogue and engagement and how it was specifically applied in the project. It then looks closely at the experience…

The past 10 years have been a period of enormous growth in efforts around father involvement, with local government systems attempting to meet the needs of the diverse father population. The Bay Area Fathering Indicators Data System (BAYFIDS) Project is designed to track and analyze the operation and impact of fathering programs and describe the…

This edition of "Policy Issues" looks at the status of access, equity, and quality issues affecting the 21st CCLC afterschool initiative. The issue begins with background information on the 21st CCLC program, followed by an overview of grantee data on 21st CCLC program characteristics from the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Collection…

This introduction, one of three parts of "Adding It Up: A Guide to Mapping Public Resources for Children, Youth and Families," explains the why, how and what behind creating a children, youth, and families (CYF) resource map. Setting the stage for what's involved in the process, this overview provides a good framework for understanding both the…

This booklet describes various components of the America Reads Challenge program, which will mobilize AmeriCorps members, skilled reading specialists, and trained volunteer reading tutors to ensure that every student can read independently and well by the end of third grade. The booklet begins with advice on how to get involved right now and…

Even without a formal program for writing across the curriculum, Tidewater Community College in Virginia has sustained communication-across-the-curriculum activities for nearly 20 years. Faculty groups have routinely gathered both formally and informally to discuss ways to improve student writing, to incorporate communication and collaboration…

Drawing on case studies of six urban community colleges, this report examines the community college mission with respect to economic and workforce development and describes model partnerships involving colleges, community-based organizations, government, and social service organizations to create pathways to employment for the urban poor.…

Educational and developmental researchers suggest that children who have experienced homelessness suffer both in self-esteem and in literacy development, although early research is not complete. The Reading Connection (TRC), a community-based nonprofit organization in northern Virginia, focuses on the social aspect of reading, rather than…

The Children's Aid Society (CAS), one of the country's oldest and largest non-sectarian child and family welfare agencies, has 37 sites in New York with an annual operating budget of over $60 million. This annual report highlights the activities of the organization for the 2001 fiscal year and presents information on the work of CAS to complete…

This collection of 13 articles looks at past practices in education for what they can teach about today. Part 1, "Schools of Tomorrow," includes these chapters: (1) "The Francis W. Parker School: Chicago's Progressive Education Legacy" (M. K. Stone); (2) "Experimental School, Experimental Community: The Marietta Johnson…

Recognition of the range of potential benefits linked to out-of-school experiences has led to a rapid expansion of out-of-school time opportunities across the United States. This guide outlines an approach for bringing the community together to meet out-of-school time needs of children, youth, and families. Launched in 1994, the MOST (Making the…

Presents short reports on a student disciplinary court (Key West, Florida); a parent-a-week public relations campaign (Lincoln, Nebraska); and an informal career education program (Denver, Colorado). (Author)

Report of an eight-week nutrition education program and a four-month follow-up study. Program directed toward low-income families in a community setting in Louisiana. A change in eating habits four months after the completion of the program was assumed to indicate sustained behavioral change. (LK)

The community experience program at Boston University, designed to provide services to students and faculty in the areas of field education, career exploration, and voluntary action, is described. The staff's understanding of formal and informal systems was the key to successful program development. (MLW)