The most important factor in public education is what goes on between people. Public Relations is the profession which identifies relationships important to the school and district. Describes the ingredients necessary for an effective public relations program designed to keep the school district's fingers on the public pulse, identify strenghts on…

Discusses an effort by students, parents, alumni, and alumni parents to help clean and paint Bishop Fenwick High School, in Massachusetts, as a way to "give something back" to the school; the event has been a springboard for other community service events, such as a landscaping day at the school. (AJL)

Inclusion is both a philosophy based on social justice and a practice requiring significant adaptations by the school community. This article presents qualitative data on over 200 Queensland (Australia) principals toward inclusion. Responses suggest the majority are "qualified" inclusionists. Although mindful of social-justice…

Examines conflicting values underlying debates about teacher compensation reform, highlighting a persistent dilemma: although school systems use monetary incentives to motivate teachers, they really do not want teachers who are primarily motivated by money. Examines teacher workforce composition, teacher values, and the history of merit pay. Some…

Reports a case study of a non profit arts advocacy group. Explores how Arts Collaborators, Inc. (ACI) advocated arts education, how they chose and developed arts education activities, and how individual and corporate beliefs about art influenced those choices. Offers recommendations about effectively evaluating and incorporating outside influences…

A study of 162 community-based organizations that assist older adults or people with intellectual disabilities in Brisbane, Australia, investigated the types of programs offered to older adults with intellectual disabilities. Results indicate that there were no programs offered that provided special services for older adults with intellectual…

Offers guidelines for establishing alumni programs, college foundations, and booster clubs at community colleges. Includes brief histories of these kinds of groups; discusses organizational, administrative, and operational concerns; and suggests ways the groups can support the college. (DMM)

Describes how a rural school system in Alabama generated financial support for the school when the city council passed an ordinance to raise taxes. The school receives portions of an Occupational License Fee, a gasoline tax, and sales tax. The increased revenues have been used for building projects, salaries, and distance education. (KS)

A Cambridge, Massachusetts, alternative public school has devised a Student Support Team to assist families in trouble or in crisis situations. Close connections with the state's Department of Social Services, the city hospital's Haitian Mental Health Unit, the Cambridge School Volunteers Program, and Harvard University student volunteer programs…

Discusses the experiences of one Oklahoma school district's efforts to successfully address the expansion and renovation challenges of its highly diverse school system. Emphasizes the importance of gaining community support. (GR)

Compares a 1970s-era Canadian high school's failure to sustain its innovative character with challenges faced by a similar, recently founded high school. Both schools experienced problems with leadership succession, staff recruitment and retention, expanding enrollments, district and policy context, and community support. Recommendations are…

The superintendent of Coventry (Rhode Island) Schools explains how he converted annual town meetings from uncivil, interminable budget-slashing sessions to expressions of community support for student-centered reforms and a construction/renovation bond issue. The board grasped assessment difficulties by taking state-mandated tests for…

Educators are feeling pressured to accommodate students, parents, and taxpayers to garner community support. Principals pursue customer intimacy; people are demanding their rights; and taxpayers, including aging baby boomers, are searching for bargains. American Federation of Teachers President Al Shanker finds academic standards and customer…

Supports "The Ohio Literacy Initiative" (a document the Ohio Department of Education developed as a resource for districts interested in designing and implementing an effective, comprehensive literacy framework) as it calls for community efforts to help districts attain and support confident and articulate readers and writers. (NH)

Investigated the social origins of black physicians from poor, rural, southern communities, examining contextual factors that helped explain their great academic and professional success as young adults. Argues that it was the community that identified and nurtured these gifted children, thus making it possible for them to attend college and…