The booklet maintains that the key to meeting basic human needs is the participation of individuals and communities in local problem solving. Some of the most important achievements in providing food, upgrading housing, improving human health, and tapping new energy sources, comes through local self-help projects. Proponents of local efforts at…

The report identifies instruments for measuring citizen education improvement efforts in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The document is presented in three sections. The first section outlines evaluation criteria and reviews literature related to testing and citizenship assessment. Materials reviewed are reports of citizenship assessment…

This literature review is intended for policymakers and researchers concerned with citizen participation in the educational decision-making process. The study examines (1) the functions of interest groups in social science analysis of the political process; (2) the dominant theories employed in social research on interest group processes; (3) the…

Background: Since the early 1980s, when A Nation at Risk sounded a clear warning about the condition of American education, there have been extensive federal, state, and local efforts to improve schools for all students, including broad policy initiatives intended to change the school experiences of students with disabilities and improve their…

The returns that Kentucky can expect on its investments in higher education were examined in an analysis that identified some of the social benefits accompanying earning a degree from a four-year college and established a value for those benefits. The analysis was based on 12 models that were estimated by using datasets from semiannual surveys of…

This document profiles successful projects designed to develop Appalachia's labor force, economy, and educational opportunities. The 86 project profiles provided are grouped by the following five goals that were established for the region by the Appalachian Regional Commission: (1) Appalachian residents will have the skills and knowledge necessary…

Participatory education is a collective effort in which the participants are committed to building a just society through individual and socieoeconomic transformation and to ending domination through changing power relations. This book describes participatory practices in many environments, including educational and penal institutions,…

Describes programs of the Close Up Foundation for young students. Discusses group projects developed for the Civic Achievement Award Program that emphasize community service and cooperative learning. Concludes with a description of plans to develop Close Up programs for the elementary grades. (CFR)

This document contains selected papers and findings of a conference that was held at South Africa's University of the Western Cape to discuss strategies to organize for democracy in the Western Cape. Presented in section 1 are the opening remarks of Bulelani Ncguka, Jakes Gerwel, Shirley Walters and the following papers: "South Africa from…

Intended for addition to the original catalog, this supplement contains 680 additional indexed and abstracted titles that represent the most current of the professional resources available in adult education. Together with the original catalog, this supplement is an access point to the Community and Continuing Education Information Service (CCEIS)…

Four case studies presented in this handbook demonstrate specific techniques which can be used to build citizen participation in a community education program. Based on criteria of adaptability, evidence of effectiveness, and significance, one project for each of the following four classifications of ninety-two relevant projects was selected for…

The state and local vocational education advisory councils, created by the Vocational Education Amendments of 1968, provide citizen input into the development and planning of vocational education programs. The whole structure of American industry is undergoing enormous change. We look to vocational education to help prepare this nation for…

Citing Aristotle, Franklin and Einstein as proponents of a broad, liberal-arts education, Finn and Ravitch promote the need for liberal learning as preparatory to the civic life needed for a well-functioning democracy. Drawing together the work of a number of educators, the editors have organized this volume in two sections. Part I, Liberal…

Dedicated to celebrating the importance of law in U.S. life, the 19 stories collected in this volume are about legislators who enact the law, judges who interpret it, and lawyers who practice it. The stories describe the contributions to the United States through the law of distinguished individuals, emphasizing the devotion of many lawyers to…

This publication provides statistical information from a nationwide survey of 1,000 Americans with disabilities, aged 16 and older, that was conducted in April and May of 1998. It is designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date measures in a number of areas, including: (1) the nature and severity of the disability; (2) participation in…