Schools must rid themselves of their image as institutions set apart from the community, run by professional educators who have little contact with the public. Public schools are financed by the entire community and ought to serve the entire community. The public has a right and responsibility to be well-informed on how its schools are run. Many…

The Sub-committee on Legislation of the Committee on Education of the Community Service Society (CSS) focuses on education law at the local, state and federal levels. It reviewed 617 bills on education submitted to the New York State Legislature. Committee on Education of CSS reviewed only those bills which were of special interest. The Committee…

A new method of rapid low-cost communication between government officials and citizens is proposed and outlined. Relevant facts and opposing views on an issue are sent to citizens, who then have a week to express their opinions by dialing a special televoter number which is different for every citizen. Votes are then counted by computer, and…

An experiment in public education for regional planning in a five county area was undertaken by the Sacramento Regional Area Planning Commission jointly with the University of California Extension (Davis) and KCRA-TV; the purpose was to present for public scrutiny a set of preliminary goals. A series of television programs was combined with 160…

The successor to a volume on concepts and issues in urban citizen participation, this work documents selected patterns of participation, issues that trigger participation (school decentralization, housing needs, a proposed highway, and other crisis situations), and outside assistance as embodied in urban planning advocates, community development…

More than 17,000 children were interviewed or tested to investigate their political attitudes. Data relevant to social class and intelligence are as follows: compared to others, children of high intelligence acquired political attitudes earlier, saw the Supreme Court as a more powerful decision maker, perceived laws as less rigid, had more…

Gaining "relevant" political knowledge, mastering specific political-administrative competencies, and participating in community processes -- all avenues of curriculum development for political activism -- can be ineffective if a student has been unable to resolve certain psycho-philosophic concerns. These concerns help to explain the nature and…

The current (1972) status of cable television (CATV) in Massachusetts is reviewed in this guide. The tone of the guide is oriented toward more citizen participation and public access to CATV operations throughout the state. The legal and technical CATV considerations are briefly discussed. Short illustrated chapters on the possibilities of local…

This chapter suggests procedures and alternative practices for the improvement of big city education. The authors (1) urge the importance of planning, (2) describe procedures for identifying and selecting promising alternative practices, (3) discuss the involvement of people in urban education, (4) identify emerging learning environments, (5)…

This chapter provides insights into the solution of financial and governance problems that face big city education. The report identifies recent developments affecting big city education such as metropolitanism, regionalism, full State financing, revenue sharing, and reform of property taxation. The authors discuss (1) recent court cases affecting…

Urban acculturation of American Indians in Flagstaff and Winslow, Arizona was surveyed. Demographic data were obtained from Bureau of Census publications and unpublished maps and statistical tables. Sociological data included research on employment patterns, housing, economic impact of Indian consumers, and settlement patterns within urban…

This six-step model examines the role of six potential participants in the educational policy formation process. The six steps are proposal development, executive recommendation (performed by the superintendent), legislative action (by the school board), supplementary change, implementation, and review. The six potential participants in this…

The status of citizenship education in American public elementary and secondary schools is discussed and suggestions are made for curriculum development. Although administrators rank citizenship education as a high priority, research shows it is given minimal attention in elementary grades and inadequate coverage in high school. Students must be…

This booklet, a general guide to citizen eco-action, discusses a plan of action on community environmental problems. It offers factors to be considered in any community eco-action situation, but it is not a rigid set of rules. An overview identifies seven key ideas of environmental issues, including the universal participation of all humans in the…

Social studies must educate students to be socially responsible, civically competent persons. In addition to encouraging civic literacy, civic values, and civic skill, teachers need to help students develop civic-mindedness. The objective of the NCSS' National Issues Forum in the Classroom Project is to develop students' civic intelligence. (RM)