In 1989, Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools began an experiment with the radical decentralization of power and authority. This book tells the story of what happened in Chicago's elementary schools in the first four years of this reform. Implicit in the reform was the theory that expanded local democratic participation would stimulate organizational…

A comparison of the racial composition of parent, community, and teacher representatives elected in autumn 1989 to Local School Councils (LSCs) in Chicago to the racial/ethnic mix of the populations they represent indicates significant racial disparity on a city-wide basis. Statistical data were analyzed from 503 of a total of 540 schools (about…

In 1987-88, some 150 American Indian students, parents, tribal leaders, and educators participated in seven regional dialogues on the reforms needed in American Indian education. Participants gave a clear message that Indians want direct control over educational institutions serving their children, curriculum reform to make cultural retention an…

The second of a planned series of monographs designed to help community groups help themselves, this booklet has been developed to provide neighborhood organizations with an awareness and understanding of communication tools. Communication techniques are offered for the neighborhood grapevine, controlled media, and mass media. Among these are…

A vast number of different types of citizens' groups participate in the educational process with differing degrees of involvement. Besides school-oriented groups, there are child advocacy and neighborhood associations, other citizens groups that have broad concerns but are in part interested in schools, and the advisory committees created by legal…

The history, current issues and future potential of rural township government today were the central focus of a 1972 survey of 18 townships in 6 southwestern Minnesota counties. Survey methodology included personal interviews with both residents and township officers, mailed questionnaires, and attendance at board meetings of the Minnesota…

In this interview, Albert Shanker, president of the United Federation of Teachers of New York City, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, and vice president of the AFL/CIO, discussed such topics as the following: his participation in a meeting of labor leaders with President Ford on September 11; the potential influence…

Research on District Decentralized Title I ESEA programs reveals conflict among school officials, community representatives, and community agencies. School officials mistrust and poorly communicate with community representatives. Community agencies compete for the economic resources brought by decentralization, while overlooking the main objective…

This paper analyzes the challenges that Condorcet saw facing France and the ways he chose to respond to those challenges, thereby posing and resolving the problems of authority deriving from the state, the family, and the wisdom of enlightened men. Condorcet's design for a system of public schools was aimed at providing instruction for all French…

School community relations in big cities are marked by apathy and distrust and, often, by hostility. Yet, many Federal programs and many pressing urban problems require that administrators and communities work together more closely than ever before. This project analyzes evidence from recent empirical research and from field evaluations to…

This monograph describes each of the 11 programs of the Navajo tribe's comprehensive educational plan. It is the Navajo Division of Education's (NDOE) belief that all of these programs will have to be conducted on the Navajo Nation for many years to come; they believe these educational programs are the solution for eradication, or at least…

This paper is an overview of different goals and strategies relevant to the economic development of poor minority groups in the United States. The logical structures of world views, goals, and the resultant strategic choices which underlie various programs are described. In subsequent sections, issues of strategy and tactics are further analyzed.…

A lunch program on the Lower East Side with kosher meals for Jewish children and Italian meals for Italian children and a health program in which visits to students' homes are a regular service are a small part of the efforts made 50 and 100 years ago to meet the needs of New York City's immigrant school children. The implications of such a…

Five major problems have emerged out of the mobility of the Nebraska population. Declining populations in sparsely populated areas, the outmigration of young adults of child-bearing age, and a concern by the people of Nebraska for the future of their State have created an awareness of the facts and the need to come to grips with the problems and…

Much of the research conducted within the black community served primarily to promote the interests and personal gain of the researchers rather than the community. Consequently, the research proved more harmful than helpful, thereby providing no visible or appreciable payoff or benefits to the black community. Moreover, the perspectives of the…