This document comprises three issues of a newsletter highlighting the MOST Initiative (Making the Most of Out-of-School Time) published by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time. Appearing regularly in the newsletter are updates of after-school programs in Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. The January, 2000 issue features an interview with…

This guide helps child welfare agencies and their partners craft more family-focused and neighborhood-based service systems. It suggests a framework that agencies can use to assess their current policies and practices and develop plans to integrate Family to Family values, principles, and strategies into existing initiatives and activities. Family…

Before a general education (GE) program is initiated or assessed, a solid institutional foundation should exist, including a philosophy and definitions regarding GE. At Ohio's Sinclair Community College, the institutional foundation included a college-wide Assessment Steering Committee charged with developing a comprehensive assessment plan for…

Since 1992, Vermont has been pioneering the development of community partnerships for improving social well-being, using indicators to track success. The working definition of a community, for outcome purposes, is the area served by a school supervisory union. Vermont is divided into 60 such supervisory unions (school districts), but…

This handbook is designed to teach communities how to develop an effective juvenile firesetter intervention program. The six chapters of this handbook can be viewed as the six building blocks essential to construct a successful program. The cornerstone of the blueprint is understanding the personality profiles of juvenile firesetters and their…

Although substance abuse affects the family, the children of substance abusers suffer the most. When parents are unable to care for their children because of their untreated addiction, the children are at risk for social and health problems that include alcohol and drug use, delinquency, depression, and poor school performance. One approach to…

This book invites schools to consider the use of mentorship, peer support, and student leadership programs to positively support the growth and learning of all students. It presents research on successful K-12 programs and case studies of individual programs and people. Eighteen chapters are: (1) "Introduction and Overview"; (2)…

Over 10 years, the researchers studied community-based organizations (CBO) for young people, eventually examining the work of approximately 120 youth-based organizations in 34 different cities. A look at these organizations and the young people they serve shows that CBOs offer a means of reaching at-risk youth, and that they can have a significant…

Describes the development of a program designed for preparing skilled and informed workers for construction jobs in the mountainous areas of northwestern North Carolina. (Author/RK)

Tutorial programs, curriculum revisions, recruitment drives, and other special assistance have stemmed from Califormia's Extended Opportunities Programs and Services for disadvantaged students. (Editor)

Community colleges can offer exciting and satisfying programs for drop-outs, stop-outs, and shoved-outs - if they adapt their traditional procedures creatively. (Editor)

Article presents a profile of associate degree mental health worker programs, considered the mental health worker curricula, and the role of the National Institute of Mental Health in developing manpower needs in mental health. (Author/RK)

Administrator-faculty cooperation at Danforth Foundation workshops can be a model for other national, regional, and statewide institutes. (Editor)

Using the talents of student volunteers allows students to tackle social problems and deal with human needs. The curricular approach to experiential learning integrates students' schooling with community needs. (Author/RK)