To explore potential bases of positive development among gang youth, attributes of positive individual and social behavior were assessed in individual interviews with 45 African American adolescent male members of inner-city Detroit gangs and 50 African American adolescent males from the same communities but involved in community-based…

This book offers a groundbreaking examination of citizenship education programs that serve contemporary youth in schools and communities across the United States. These programs include social studies classes and curricula, school governance, and community-based education efforts. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the…

This article discusses the results of two studies exploring the status of partnerships between schools and community organizations. In the first study, 90 teachers, administrators, and support service staff reported that the most common type of partnership involved youth development organizations, mental health providers, parents and residents,…

Community-based organizations (CBOs), particularly minority-based CBOs, are instrumental in the delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention programs and services. Despite a tremendous need, many CBOs lack the capacity to plan, implement, and evaluate targeted prevention interventions to serve culturally diverse populations. This article describes a…

Scholars of public opinion and socialization have documented extensively the declining levels of political knowledge and the increasing levels of political apathy and individualism among young people. The purpose of this paper is to assess an American Government course's ability to affect young people's perceptions of power in the political system…

As a community-based organization, community leader or activist, individuals are in a unique position to take the lead in raising awareness about resource conservation, good solid waste management, and safeguarding the environment for future generations. This paper is designed to help individuals plan and execute community events that promote the…

Evaluation data are reported from two examples of a comprehensive approach to urban school reform that attempted to involve the full range of stakeholders, including parents, in school reform. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation awarded grants to five urban school districts to improve middle schools by focusing on high expectations, high content,…

Businesses, community agencies, career educators and counselors, churches, parents, and other community members are increasingly being approached to become actively involved in K-12 career education through school-to-work, tech prep, or other related programs. Community involvement in career education can assume many forms. Businesses can…

This paper builds on previous work which analyzed ways of speaking, the use of space, and relationship formation in the work and play of organizations, in order to determine how youth develop a sense of self, empowerment, and persistence. Examined here are the speech interactions taken from three teaching lessons involving youth and youth leaders…

Lying within the Cumberland Plateau of Appalachia, the Kentucky River Area Development District (KRADD) comprises eight rural Kentucky counties: Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe. This report reviews regional history of economic development and examines socioeconomic indicators, including education, poverty, and the…

This document addresses literacy partnerships and presents a guide for community organization and program development. Section 1, "Developing a Community Literacy Organization," provides a framework for planning. It covers getting started, becoming a society, building a strong board, conducting effective meetings, accessing the media,…

This study used multiple methods to assess basic community needs and attributes of community atmosphere (cohesion, religious involvement, and recreational activities) in two psychometric studies. Part 1 revised self-report community assessment measures, developed multi-item scales for each construct, and tested reliabilities and factor structures…

A study evaluated the use of the request for proposal (RFP) process as a method of distributing federal vocational education and job training funds in Minnesota. Thirty-seven employees of Minnesota technical colleges, community-based organizations, service delivery areas, and state agencies who had actually prepared proposals requesting Job…

Sixteen essays document the extent and variety of community resistance and struggle in Appalachia since 1960, and the origins and factors contributing to success or failure of particular efforts. They also relate the study of Appalachian dissent to issues informing scholarly discussions of dissent nationally. Of particular educational relevance…

Focusing on knowledge of four public affairs issues important to residents of a Midwestern inner-city neighborhood, a study examined the relative contributions to knowledge made by two neighborhood newspapers and by organized community group activities. A sample of 239 residents was asked open-ended questions about housing, crime, economic…