This report takes a fresh look at the way in which people learn about biodiversity, its importance, and the role that the public can play in its conservation. People must interpret this new and challenging issue within a context that is both meaningful and familiar to them. This report is exploratory and illustrative, and uses current educational…

Decentralization and budget reduction in the public sector, and globalization and downsizing in the private sector have placed more responsibility on localities to address challenges to the health of their economies, ecosystems, and people. Community development theory and practice are also changing, evidenced by changes in vocabulary. Community…

A combined report of the four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and their partners focuses on selected outreach and research activities, projects, and accomplishments in fiscal year 1997. The report is organized around five topics identified as key issues for the mid 1990s: (1) improving economic competitiveness, diversity, and…

This guide chronicles the ongoing work and writings of the Chapin Hall Center for children at the University of Chicago, a policy research center dedicated to bringing sound information, rigorous analyses, innovative ideas, and an independent, multidisciplinary perspective to bear on policies and programs affecting children. The guide, organized…

This report describes principles of community organization that can contribute to sustainable community renewal. Community is composed of social networks which form the community infrastructure. Relationships among people with the same roles are passive; relationships that cross role boundaries are active. Communities that exhibit active…

The Annenberg Rural Challenge is a national effort to revitalize rural communities and schools and their long-standing values of community, democracy, and care for the natural environment. This collection of five essays presents a number of themes that are central to the Rural Challenge's philosophy. "Bringing It All Back Home: Reclaiming the…

Focusing on area vocational-technical schools, this article describes several successful vocational programs across the U.S. and explains their role in community improvement, economic development, adult education, and community activities. (LRA)

Discusses problems associated with communication in rural areas to promote participation in development programs. Suggests that success of such programs depends on continued government policy in favor of citizen participation in agricultural and rural development. (SK)

This paper investigates the leading issues in the development of economic models for describing Black communities. Models which have been developed to analyze various economic problems of Black communities are presented. The results of previous research are analyzed and their implications for future research are discussed. (Author/MC)

Describes the efforts of women of the Cree-Ojibway Nation in Northern Canada to increase their participation in the development of their communities. Outlines a proposal for participatory research that will develop a picture of community status and needs from the women's perspective. (SK)

Reports on the project, New Initiatives for Economic Development: An Experiment in Community Development. Reveals the economic impacts of 100 new jobs in a community, the achievements of the project to date, and identifies barriers to economic growth in Illinois communities. (AYC)

Evaluation of data available for Muncie (Indiana) in the 1850-1880 period indicates that all occupational groups experienced upward mobility in terms of an increased value of their property, Muncie's population was of a transient nature, the area changed from village to city, and the number of people attracted to Muncie was greater than the number…

Contains a series of short, experientially oriented articles on circle time entitled "You Can Make Circle Time Developmentally Appropriate"; "Using Circle Time as a Hub of Curriculum"; "Working It Out Together in Circle Time"; and "Starting with Stories: Building a Sense of Community." (SD)

Discusses proposed changes in housing appropriations by Congress in the fiscal year 1996. Two key factors are missing from the debate: (1) lack of public awareness and vocal constituency for funded projects; and (2) lack of understanding that affordable, safe, nontransient, and habitable housing is fundamental to meeting all basic needs. (FC)