This paper examines the functioning of the Public School Safety Commission that was established in a large west coast city to study the problem of violence in the city's public schools. The commission was established by the board of education in the spring of 1974 and issued its final report in July 1974. Over 60 community organizations,…

This paper is about myths in general and the "myth" of Democracy in the United States of America in particular. Myths have a number of definitions among which legendary stories containing some elements of fact but wholly untrue can be cited as the basis for the establishment of commonly accepted beliefs. Myths can be functional in the…

Designed to examine alternative answers to questions on rural development, the Conference on Planning Frontiers in Rural America is presented in this digest which transcribes some of the deliberations stimulated by 10 speakers of national reputation interested in contemporary rural America and its prospects for the future. Specifically, this…

Guidelines to help ERIC clearinghouses reach lay persons and inform them of the resources available through the ERIC information network are provided. The guidelines were developed following on-site interviews with persons who have expertise in information dissemination and/or who are actively involved in providing information to citizens involved…

Guidelines to help ERIC microfiche collection holders acquaint lay persons in their community with the resources available through the ERIC information network are provided. The guidelines were developed following on-site interviews with persons who have expertise in information dissemination and/or who are actively involved in providing…

Examining the role of Clemson University's Cooperative Extension Service in the planning stages of a Title V Community and Resource Development (CRD) program in South Carolina's rural Williamsburg County, this paper describes the Extension's 14-month involvement. The following specifics are addressed: (1) South Carolina's Title V program (staffed…

This study examines the laws of Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York in an attempt to determine who has what kind of authority to control the curriculum of public and private schools in each state. The five states studied were selected to represent different degrees of centralization in the control of school curriculum. The…

To get full value from citizen advisory committees, school boards may use the following suggestions and guidelines. Be sure a lay citizen committee is needed before appointing one; provide specific responsibilities and duties; appoint the members to achieve balance according to sex, race, philosophy, and geography; use rotating terms; appoint the…

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that anomia as defined by the Srole scale (a measurement of despair, hopelessness, and retreatism) is inversely related to socio-economic status (as measured by occupation, income, and education) and the amount of informal and formal group participation. Data were collected via random sample…

This paper describes the Detroit Education Task Force and its efforts to develop a problem-solving agenda for the Detroit public schools. The paper describes the background and history of the task force and analyzes its relationship with the Detroit Central Board of Education and with administrators of the Detroit school system. The educational…

Review of school-community relationsuip studies in Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, and Washington, D.C., shows that these successful undertakings were guided by several objectives. Most important among these were (1) to develop information about means of local school-community interaction and communication and their effectiveness, (2) to become…

Control of public education in the United States is vested in the citizenry. Evaluation is a necessary function of control. The gap between occupational and general education must be narrowed by recognition that both may contribute to occupational choice, competence, and advancement, and also to the objectives of general education. As unsystematic…

The disparities in urban/nonurban education can be changed through community participation and a redistribution of educational revenues. The high positive correlation of race and economic class to school achievement is the most pressing concern of education today. Public pressure is necessary to resist the tendency toward bureaucratic isolation of…

A collection of 16 articles gathered from people who are involved in community broadcasting contains material varying from the practical, technical accounts of community broadcasting to abstract and sometimes controversial philosophies. General subject areas include: (1) production techniques and formats; (2) radio and cable television programing…

The operations of a citizen committee associated with two neighborhood public schools in the Boston area were studied to evaluate empirically the effectiveness of the committee in achieving certain policy goals. A case study approach to citizen committee power to influence educational decisionmaking was made in the areas of finance, curriculum,…