Reported is one of a series of research and development efforts at the University of Virginia sponsored by the U.S. Office of Environmental Education. These projects are intended to produce approaches, methods, and basic resources needed to improve local capabilities in environmental education program design and implementation. Presented in this…

This guide is intended to assist in identifying the nature and extent of learning needs within the community and determining program priorities consistent with those needs. It is designed specifically for developing Community Instructional Services, a Florida program that addresses the in-life learning needs of adult citizens that are…

Intended as a guide to aid inservice teachers and school administrative personnel in developing an effective program for the utilization of school volunteers, this document discusses the merits of a volunteer program and provides concrete suggestions for program design and implementation. Five steps towards a volunteer program delineated by the…

Presented is the manual which resulted from a project to develop a program of relief or respite care for families with developmentally disabled members. Background on the respite care approach in Montgomery County (Maryland) is reviewed, and a long range and immediate goals of the project are outlined. Noted among results of a survey to determine…

Planning considerations for persons interested in beginning a school age day care program in a community setting such as a church, school, or community center are emphasized in this booklet. The following 15 questions are given brief answers: (1) What is school age day care? (2) Is there a need for school age day care? (3) Who will sponsor the…

A new phenomenon in American education is the working relationship of "high school partnerships." These committments between a corporation and an urban school pledge cooperation over a period of years in an organized group of projects intended to improve education and benefit the students. To determine the problems, risks, and potentials of high…

Presented are guidelines on planning and establishing a small, residential halfway house for the male adolescent/adult retardate in which mental health and use of the halfway house to replace institutionalization of selected retardates are emphasized. The halfway house is explained to be planned on premises of community participation and program…

This booklet has been prepared to aid communities that wish to start Voluntary Action Centers. It is a digest of experience to date. The 10 questions answered in the booklet are as follows: (1) What is a Voluntary Action Center?; (2) What does a Voluntary Action Center do?; (3) Who can start a Voluntary Action Center?; (4) What is the usual…

The author briefly examines (1) the history of local control of education, (2) the development of the community-based college, and (3) the growth of community-directed educational programs at these institutions. (MJB)

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…

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…

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…

Suggests some general procedures for establishing a community education program, which have been successfully employed in communities across the nation. The procedures involve meeting with school and community groups, establishing advisors and directors, surveying community needs, and evaluating programs designed to meet community needs.…