This article describes a Des Moines (Iowa) program in which approximately 100 people or organizations have given 600 hours of time to gifted students. It identifies creative ways to use community resources, where to find community resources (professional organizations, service clubs, school staff, retired persons, parents, students, and…

Guidelines are offered for accessing local grant and foundation monies to fund special and innovative activities in gifted education programs. Descriptions of six projects funded by grants from local foundations demonstrate the variety of projects that can be funded. (JDD)

Addresses the role of children's museums, recounting both positive experiences of meaningful interactions and negative encounters in which such interactions were discouraged or were too cursory. Suggestions for scaffolding children's discovery and problem-solving learning with children's museum activities are offered. (DB)

Highlights seven documents and seven journal articles in the ERIC database about service learning projects, social studies projects that build on local resident experience, teacher and university research and collaboration efforts to enrich adolescents' education, and other ideas that might be adapted to middle school environments. (DLH)

Community Opportunities for Older Learners (COOL) in Leicester, England, was a pilot project that developed a guide and web-based database identifying learning resources for older adults. The project was based upon best practices of adult learning and inclusion of elders' perspectives in planning and development. (SK)

Today's thriving art museums--and the various processes that deliver both their overt and covert missions--are likely to have a greater impact on society than ever before. With such potential, it seems especially important at this juncture to examine critically the art museum as process; to deconstruct that which has been "constructed as a symbol…

The new campus of Queen Margaret University College in the United Kingdom is designed to be a sustainable educational and community resource. Early consultation with students and staff on the campus design revealed a strong desire for a sustainable environment, with plenty of green space for all to enjoy. In response to this, the design focuses on…

Situating parental involvement in education within a sociohistorical context, this case study of a Nicaraguan immigrant household in California contrasts the perspectives of two sisters-in-law who shared a home and whose daughters attended the same urban elementary school. Although the two women were involved in their daughters' schooling in…

We conducted an evaluation of "Nobody's Perfect" Program involving 71 participants from Peterborough County, Canada. Prior to the program, parents completed demographic information, along with self-report measures assessing the types of interactions with their children, parent resourcefulness, knowledge and use of resources, parent…

This article presents the fourth part in the 12 installment series that presents the experiences of a fictitious couple, Amita and Samir, as they learn to adapt to the reality of having a premature baby with special needs. It describes the services provided by various community resources to children and youth with special healthcare needs and…

This guide presents principles of person-centered planning, an approach to organizing and guiding community change in alliance with people with disabilities and their families and friends. The approach focuses on the individual's desired future, his or her present reality, necessary services, and currently available community resources. Individual…

"Marketing Folk Art" is a special section (pages 43-89) of this serial issue addressing the folklorists' role in developing marketing strategies to improve the lot of folk artists and protect their traditional forms of expression from commercial exploitation. The following six articles, introduced by Rosemary Joyce, focus on these…

This guide provides resource suggestions for Washington, D.C. teachers who are preparing units on African American art and artists. The listings include hours of operation, address, and phone number of community resources under six distinct headings: (1) "Museums"; (2) "Art Galleries and Organizations"; (3) "Other…

This publication lists national, regional, and Pennsylvania-specific organizations that provide technical or financial assistance to artists and community groups. Special emphasis is given to those foundations that have funds earmarked for traditional/folk arts. Art organizing suggestions for achieving equitable funding in the arts and letters to…

Six community builders in Edmonton, Alberta, planned, developed, and implemented Listen and Learn II, a reflective research project in asset-based community building, over a 6-month period in 1998. They met regularly over 2 months to plan the research and design a method that was open to participation at any stage, encouraged exchange of…