Describes how two school districts--one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the other in Yorktown, Virginia--involved their communities in a school building and renovation planning process called discovery through viewpoint and diagram (DVD). (PKP)

Effective superintendents recognize three key management precepts and their hidden rules. Administrators should avoid mixing emotion and logic, attending to detractors' emotional needs before presenting a differing viewpoint. They should be graceful under pressure, expect the unexpected, and build coalitions gradually, mindful of all community…

Strategies to help garner community support in school technology growth or maintenance include the following: (1) consider a "current state of technology" report; (2) forget five-year plans; (3) develop annual technology reports; (4) look to your website; (5) seek constructive opportunities to share technology, and (6) show off best examples at…

In school construction projects a great deal of work and planning needs to happen before ground breaking starts. Lists consistent factors that should always be considered when setting up a facility-design timeline. (MLF)

An overview of formal government language-in-education planning for community languages (CLs) that has been undertaken in Australia and New South Wales is provided, moving from the more informal programmes provided in the 1980s to school-oriented programmes and training at the turn of the century. These programmes depend on community support; for…

The poor health status of Australia's Indigenous people is well-documented, as are the links between health and education. Aboriginal communities recognise the utmost importance of improving educational, physical, social and economic well-being in an environment where disproportionate numbers of Aboriginal students fail to complete secondary…

Social support from intimate and confiding relationships has received a great deal of attention; however, the study of the community as a relevant source of support has been comparatively lacking. In this article, we present a multidimensional measure of community support (Perceived Community Support Questionnaire, PCSQ). Through exploratory and…

This book describes the process of developing comprehensive health education programs in rural areas. Six school districts in the Pacific Northwest teamed up with specialists from five universities, an educational service district, and a regional educational laboratory to develop the curricula. The book includes an introduction, a summary, and…

Reforming schools involves change and, like all change, it faces opposition. This 2-part report is designed to help local school and community leaders involved in education who are experiencing growing opposition to school improvement efforts. The first part includes materials and resources educational leaders can use to promote change. Each entry…

This book argues for a comprehensive approach to planning for and managing the use of technology in schools. In the first four chapters, emphasis is placed on the importance of: (1) anticipating the future; (2) creating stakeholders' planning committees; (3) providing staff development and training for teachers and administrators; (4) winning…

Community involvement in rural school facilities improvement projects is significant to the success of these projects. While literature regarding school-community partnerships and citizen involvement in school construction projects appears to be ample, writing which specifically addresses community involvement in rural school facilities is far…

Many schools have identified successful strategies for prevention of drug abuse in attempting to make neighborhoods, schools, and communities healthier places to learn. One hundred and four summaries of these programs and practices are given in eight subject categories. First, peer programs describe a variety of ways in which young people help,…

Rock Valley College places an emphasis on community service and offers cultural activities to the entire community from four-year-old children to senior citizens. These activities are attended by over 100,000 community residents annually. The popularity of these cultural events helps the college receive community financial support. (DC)

Operation Rescue is a teacher-initiated and -managed early intervention program to identify and help potential dropouts. The program relies upon establishing one-to-one friendships between at-risk children and volunteers. Cooperation with community groups promotes the goal of "local groups solving local problems." Operation Rescue…

This report describes a program promoting alternative financing of child care services by corporations and public employers in Portland, Oregon. Chapter 1 states the rationale for the approach and policy that the "Community Shares" program represents. The rationale includes the argument for a community program of child care information,…