We examine the issues involved in creating and maintaining a successful collaboration between university-based researchers and community members when designing and implementing the Parents Matter! Program (PMP). The roles of focus groups, community advisory boards, and community liaisons are highlighted. PMP provides an illustration of the ongoing…

This article discusses the idea of the "safe school" juvenile delinquency prevention model as a paradigm of bringing together all of the community participants, in order to bring about ways and means through which community problems could be met and solved. It suggests that in free and democratic societies, the consent of all participant…

S. Redding noted the many challenges facing research and researchers in family-school-community involvement, and he presented a call to "rally the troops" to respond to a series of concerns. The issue of control over defining the role of schools should be a shared enterprise among the family, the school, and the community, with the individual…

The series "Self-instructional Notes on Social Participation" is a six-volume series intended as teaching aids for adult educators. The theoretical, methodological, informative and practical elements of this series will assist professionals in their work and help them achieve greater success. The specific purpose of each notebook is…

Community problems are often so immense that community colleges can only respond effectively by forming organizational partnerships. The key to successful partnerships is communication among agencies; once an appreciation of each organization's capabilities is reached, community needs can be identified and responsive strategies can be designed. As…

Noting that the strength of society is inextricably linked to the strength of its families, this book examines the evolution of current principles and practices in family support, and discusses future directions in quality services, training, and evaluation. The 20 chapters in this book are: (1) "America's Children and Families: An…

This paper explores the broad definition of health in the rural context and relates it to policy, practice, and pedagogical challenges in providing access to services in rural areas. Historically, policy, practice, and teaching institutions have supported a dependency model for health service delivery, forcing rural communities to rely on…

School-age child care is a relatively new phenomenon, created as a result of the loss of the geographically close extended family and the influx of women into the workforce. This manual examines the nature of school-age child care and those who provide it. The first section examines: the purpose of school-age child care; the role of the child care…

Providing a blueprint for the future of Aurora College (AC), in the Northwest Territories, Canada, this plan describes general directions and strategies for the period from 1995 to 2000. Following a summary, section 1 provides background to the development of the plan, while section 2 provides information on the college, including data on students…

This digest describes the creation and operation of after school programs for poor urban students. Schools often sponsor such programs and find the advantages to be the credibility lent by the school, continuity of care, and easy access to resources. Some of the disadvantages to school sponsorship are higher personnel costs, the possibility of…

Goal 1 of the 6 national education goals established by President Bush and the nation's governors states that by the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn. This document provides schools and communities with information about what children need to be able to start school ready to learn and gives examples of…

A case study was done of the community-based education reform group, Parents United for the D.C. Public Schools in Washington, D.C. Data for the study came from written records; from interviews with Parents United staff and officers, members of the Board of Education, and others familiar with public education in Washington, D.C.; and from public…

This Spanish-language publication reflects the philosophy and support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation for early childhood care and development. It highlights different approaches to early childhood care and development and explains why the foundation believes that investing in early childhood is one of the best ways of building a brighter,…

African Americans are experiencing extreme stress in the United States, and African-American males appear to suffer the most. The chapters in this volume examine some of the issues confronting African-American men today. They include: (1) "Introduction" (Dionne J. Jones); (2) "Reaffirming Young African American Males: Mentoring and…

Born in the aftermath of social upheaval in 1970, Servol (Service Volunteered for All) is a grassroots community development organization working with preschoolers and adolescents in the Caribbean nations of Trinidad and Tobago. This booklet describes the efforts and successes of this program, founded through the intervention of a Catholic priest…