At present, there is an ongoing re-examination of the practicality of the existence of many small rural community schools. In some states there is a continuing battle over a new round of small school closings, and reconsolidation efforts are underway to once again change or reorganize the educational infrastructure of rural community schools.…

This book contains sixteen compelling case studies that illustrate the power of future search to create lasting, whole system change. Future Search in School District Change: Connection, Community, and Results chronicles ways in which educational institutions have used broad-based stakeholder involvement to improve education. These experiences, by…

Many family support programs find it difficult to provide evidence of program efficacy to community groups, agencies, and funding sources. This practicum study involved the development and implementation of a management information system (MIS) to meet the needs and goals of a family support program, including the need for program evaluation. The…

This guide is designed for companies that are working to strengthen schools. It is meant to help state and local business leaders become more effective advocates for building and sustaining the necessary community support for rigorous assessments of student achievement. The ultimate goal of educational improvement efforts must be to improve…

Staggering beginning dates so that three-fourths of the student body is in school while the other one-fourth is on vacation allows a financially-limited school district to optimize its facilities. (Author/MF)

Disengagement, the final phase in the community development process, receives little attention in the literature. Many community development practitioners make decisions regarding disengagement intuitively. This exploratory study of disengagement from community units was based on interviews with eleven University of Missouri Extension Community…

Discusses the development and philosophy of several school camps, with particular emphasis on St. Mary's Lake Camp (Michigan) and Camp Tyler (Texas). (CM)

Focusing on a high school agricultural cooperative education program, the author presents guidelines for supervisory visits and for the selection of good training stations. The benefits of cooperative programs to the student, community, school, and employer are listed. (LRA)

The concept and meaning of the term "multicultural education" is explored in this article. The progress of multicultural education during the last decade and the development of existing policy and practice are assessed. Future considerations and implications for policy and legislation are discussed. (Author/GC)

Administrators are struggling to make the report cards sent home to parents more meaningful. Alternative ways to report student progress find more favor among educators than parents, as anecdotal evidence from several communities shows. Revamping attempts fail due to substantive problems with new reporting procedures or inept public-relations…

Notes that student learning declines or remains stagnant during the summer months and that the magnitude of change differs by socioeconomic status. Explains a summer reading program called Continued Connections which used a converted recreational vehicle as a mobile classroom. Concludes that this program helped students increase their reading…

A central premise supporting educational decentralization is that community members best understand local conditions and are best placed to make local educational decisions. A survey of 643 educators, parents, and community leaders in 18 rural Ghana communities found that all groups lacked well-formulated attitudes about school practices and…

The Client Interaction Scale is a 12-item assessment tool for measuring client integration into the client-to-client interactive milieu in community support programs for persons with chronic mental illness. Results from administration of the scale to 95 clients indicate that the scale shows excellent inter-item reliability. (TJH)

Reports on a study of Whites, Hispanic immigrants, and Korean immigrants in New York City conducted to replicate and assess research conducted in Britain on ethnic enterprise. Results emphasize the impact of ecological factors on business opportunities and conditions. (MW)