National service offers an appealing vehicle for engaging senior citizens to respond to unmet needs in education, health care, public safety, the environment, and other essential areas. Involving seniors in national service will help alleviate the country's pressing domestic problems, enhancing participants' personal development, and bolstering…

Recommendations are provided about a new data series that would serve as a measure of the extent and quality of participation of the U.S. population in arts and cultural activities. Eight chapters review and evaluate the state of social statistics and indicators of arts audiences. Chapter 1 defines "indicator,""culture," and…

Legal and operational aspects of citizen participation in federal, state, and local governments are examined and recommendations are made. Following an introduction to the study, chapter 2 reviews the role of citizen participation in democratic theory and examines how participation developed within the general society and the governmental system.…

This curriculum guide describes an introduction to law-related education for fourth graders in the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida. Primary goals are described as stimulating competent thinking in children, and developing skills and attitudes that will help children function effectively in decision-making situations. The…

"It's about Them" was introduced by David Hardesty to call attention to the central focus of effective public engagement. The seven-part test of engagement set forth by the Kellogg Commission is examined within the context of the cooperative extension system. The impacts of the changes that will shape American society in the early…

This issue of the children's quarterly magazine, "The Goldfinch," focuses on World War I. A brief discussion of how the United States came to enter the War is followed by a discussion of propaganda. An article on the use of posters to encourage citizens to participate in the war effort is illustrated with reproductions of several of…

The public's perception of science and technology and of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is addressed and discussed in this report in terms of the social contract that exists between the scientific community and the public. A social contract is defined as the set of mutual expectations and obligations of the public, government, and science.…

This book is a comparative analysis of the tensions, compromises and conflicts over school reform in four urban school systems in the United States. In examining the contradictory forces that shaped urban education in the U.S., it illuminates how grassroots movements operated during the early twentieth century. Unlike many of the standard…

The Extension organization faces a new challenge to develop and maintain partnerships at the local level, bringing together people, programs, and resources. Although the Extension Service already operates under the concept of a partnership between federal, state, and local governments, the federal partner has created a vacuum in this three-way…

A leadership development program was conducted by the home economics department of the University of Florida. The program consisted of an 11-week structured learning experience conducted by county home economics extension faculty for participants recruited from local voluntary associations in four counties. The broad objective of the program was…

A large-scale pre-television benchmark survey was undertaken in five Indonesian provinces in 1976, prior to the launching of Indonesia's telecommunications satellite, to provide data for comparison with the results of a survey of the same villages to be carried out in 1982, 5 years after the introduction of television, to assess its long-term…

Intended to provide educators and community leaders in Massachusetts with an overview of the ways in which community education practices can strengthen K-12 education, this document explains community education, describes three community education projects in detail, gives implementation models, and lists organizational and printed resources.…

The purpose of Law Day is to call the citizenry's attention to the principles and practices of U.S. law and justice. Activities held by community groups and schools to celebrate Law Day include mock trials, debates, essay and poster contests, and films. This guide was developed to assist community groups or classes to participate in the observance…

Children's literature is a rich source of information for teachers to use in helping elementary school students learn to become knowledgeable and active citizens. Seventy-four children's books are described in terms of their citizenship or law-related content. Lesson ideas and, in some cases, complete lesson plans are offered that creatively focus…

The way that "open meeting laws" are working in the governance of U.S. higher education is discussed, based on a study of sunshine laws of 50 states and a survey of case law and attorneys' opinions. In-depth interviews were also conducted with individuals from six states identified as representing a range of openness. From most open to…