Environmental equality, social justice and well-being are national headline indicators for the United Kingdom (UK), and community vibrancy is a rural headline indicator. All four of these indicators were designated as headline indicators prior to any robust definition or methodology for their measurement was articulated. Prior to the establishment…

The community in Rockland County is working together to come up with proposed changes to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This may be the only community-wide effort in the United States to closely study the lengthy law and recommend detailed changes to it. Under the Rockland County plan, which is discussed in this article, the tests in the…

Author reflects on the eccentricities of the committee system, with special reference to adult education. (Editor/RB)

A modern-day movement is transforming the way that communities and justice systems think about and respond to crime and wrongful occurrences. This response implements a holistic continuum of services, providing for prevention, intervention, diversion, commitment, probation, reentry, and aftercare. This approach--known as restorative justice--seeks…

The history of Chicago FM radio station WEFM and the activities of the Citizen's Committee to Save WEFM are chronicled. The focus is principally on the actions of the Citizen's Committee to prevent the conversion of the radio station from a classical music format to rock and roll offerings and to block the sale of the station by Zenith to GCC…

Rutgers University sponsors a program of Volunteer Urban Agents for persons who have initiated community projects. Volunteers participate in get-togethers with other agents in an Urban Issues Seminar. The program provides a link between the university and the urban community and helps broaden the understanding of concerned citizens. (SE)

Raymond J. Young (1923-2007) played a key role in the post-World War II development of community colleges in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and elsewhere. This article describes his scholarly and professional contributions in developing "bottom-up," grassroots citizen's participatory studies that led to the establishment of 60 community…

This article raises the question, "Is the rapid expansion of the school Academies programme consistent with the Government's policy of enabling socially disadvantaged local communities to participate in making decisions that shape the quality of their lives?" (Contains 1 note.)

In this article, the author describes the leadership class that she created for the family and consumer sciences (FCS) department. The class, "Family & Consumer Sciences Issues & Applications," focused on family and community action for improved quality of life. It included in-depth laboratory experiences, service learning activities, and the…

Communities across the nation have become increasingly concerned about inhalant use and use of harmful legal products among youth because of increasing prevalence rates and deleterious health consequences from abusing these products. The increasing concern of communities about inhaling and ingesting legal products has been coupled with increasing…

Childcare centers are business organizations and are subject to some of the same issues and problems as any small business. Many childcare administrators have little or no business training, and are unable to embrace change in order to help their programs survive economic problems. This article describes how one community saved their childcare…

Poverty and unemployment aren't spread evenly across cities or regions, but rather are concentrated in disinvested urban neighborhoods and rural communities around the country. These communities are home to the nation's most vulnerable children and families. Despite some signs of improvement in economic conditions for families in the United…

This article outlines an early childhood leadership model that senior Anangu and Yapa (Aboriginal) women, living semi-traditional lifestyles in the remote desert regions of central Australia, have identified as a positive and important way forward for their children, families, governments and related professionals. The initiative--Warrki…

Points out the importance of coalitions for effectively developing and utilizing political power. Describes two basic steps in coalition building, discusses basic requirements and advantages/disadvantages for coalitions, and defines several types of coalitions. (RH)