England's Education Action Zones and their forums seek to draw together diverse constituencies to develop and implement local plans for school improvement, thereby empowering parents and communities. This article, based on interviews with EAZ applicants and directors, explores EAZ's imperfectly realized potential to democratize schooling.…

The Primary Prevention of Cancer Program at the British Columbia Cancer Agency Centre for the Southern Interior (BCCA-CSI), known as the Waddell Project, is now five years old and currently is in partnership with fourteen regional communities. Each of these communities has a range of community-developed programs currently in place. The driving…

This article examines the effects of an Africentric youth and family rites of passage program on at-risk African American youths and their parents. Data were obtained from a three-year evaluation of a youth rites of passage demonstration project using therapeutic interventions based on Africentric principles. At-risk African American boys between…

An effort to kick-start local education and to keep students learning and going to college came in 1958 when Fall River optometrist Irving Fradkin started a citizens-based scholarship fund to help ambitious but needy public school graduates pay college tuition and textbook costs. With literally a dollar contributed here and a dollar contributed…

The High School Puente Project, one of several outreach efforts of the University of California, is an innovative program that is designed to assist traditionally underserved students. Puente builds on community and the idea of "familia" and features a strong component of professional developments for teachers as well as structural…

The author talks about a vision of a "learning community" that is currently being trialled in 26 testbeds in England. As the first learning community testbeds develop across England, the author looks at some of the early issues that are emerging from the first few months of activity. The issues identified have emerged from early…

Growing numbers of school districts across North America are using study circles to build communitywide coalitions that make schools work better for everyone. Study circles are inclusive community conversations that lead directly to school or community change. They include a combination of large-group meetings and facilitated small-group…

Fantuzzo, McWayne, and Bulotsky (2003) describe a collaborative community research program that aims to decrease the population incidence of child maltreatment and build preschool children's competencies. Additionally, Fantuzzo and his colleagues have demonstrated their commitment to collaborate with community residents, practitioners, and…

This study evaluates the impact of minimally trained tutors on the pass/fail ratio of middle school students in core subjects such as English, reading, math, or science. Because a traditional experimental design comparing students who receive a treatment with those who do not was not financially feasible, the study employed an alternative that has…

Community organizing for school reform is a growing national phenomenon, as young people, parents, neighborhood residents, and faith-based institutions struggle to improve the quality and equity of public schooling, particularly in urban school districts. Now a decade old, community organizing projects are influencing local public schools in…

Background: This study provides an overview of empirical research on the effectiveness of quality-enhancing interventions for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). Method: Through computerised searches of the PsycINFO and ERIC databases, and using several search criteria specifically relating to the target group and…

The search for new designs for improving parent involvement is a common issue in many schools today. The notion of local control of education in First Nations communities in Canada is directly linked to the need for parental involvement in schooling. This study utilizes a participatory research approach to examine views on community involvement…

Inherent in the missions of colleges and universities with a Christian tradition is a goal of building a strong community. These campuses seek to foster a sense of belonging for their students, and they employ principled approaches to the development of effective policies for all aspects of student affairs. Simultaneously, they frequently face…

The accountability imperative requires schools to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs. Florida answered the accountability imperative by instituting statewide objective assessments and assigning grades to schools. The latter move led to several initiatives concerning the practices that improve schools in Florida. This article…

Community schools are organized around two common goals: helping students learn and succeed and strengthening families and communities. Full-service community schools extend these guiding principles. They are centers of their communities, providing high-quality after-school opportunities, comprehensive early childhood education, real-world…