The first of 3 stages of community education was a period of theoretical and conceptual development. The next 30 years saw the development of community school programs, leadership training, university centers, professional associations, and legislation. Recent trends include changes in organizational structures and management systems, increased…

Inspired by the grassroots efforts of the civil rights movement, the Algebra Project in Cambridge, Massachusetts, involves parents and teachers in establishing an algebra curriculum for middle-school students. The project's philosophy is that access to algebra enables participation in advanced high school math and science, preparing students for…

The Nuclear Disarmament Project involving Catholic churches and schools in San Francisco used Freirean codifications, with photographs as codes, to develop discussions on the moral issues of nuclear arms. Group discussions led to concrete action in the cause of peace and social justice. (SK)

Compares the ways of knowing exhibited by community residents when documenting environmental hazards and diseases to the ways of knowing exhibited by professional scientists. Argues that popular epidemiology mirrors clinical medicine and should err on the safe side of false positives. (Contains 62 references.) (MDH)

Speech delivered at NAEYC's National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development explores changing perspectives on social needs, and suggests building a sense of community and improving teacher education as ways to support children and families in need. (HTH)

A major problem with the proposed approaches to national service is that they may draw attention away from the real causes of and the feasible solutions to critical problems. Community action should involve young people in sustained, long-term empowering activities, not in one-time experiences or in work that does not challenge current power…

Managing the issues associated with gang activity is prioritized in Minneapolis parks. A strong commitment to interagency cooperation and teamwork has effectively addressed the root causes of gang formation and prevented some criminal behavior. The article examines public safety enforcement, summer programs for Minnesota youths, positive role…

Explores the most effective strategy roles that coalitions can play in the prevention of complex, entrenched, social and health problems such as violence, alcoholism, and other substance abuse problems. The paper also outlines the key internal capacities a coalition will need in order to establish a support system for prevention initiatives. (GR)

Discusses grassroots AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) groups and their creation, dissemination, and interpretation of knowledge; and considers whether their knowledge production model applies to other public policy issues, using toxic exposure and women's health research as examples. Theoretical implications are considered, and the…

Interviews with rural women active in grassroots community organizations in Appalachia revealed that the consequences of women's participation included learning new skills, developing communication skills, gaining understanding of their lives, and setting new educational or vocational goals. Aspects of organizational environment that supported the…

Describes the process by which experimental Ford Foundation programs designed to stem the urban crisis evolved into more narrowly constructed interventions to reform service delivery systems and alleviate poverty in inner-city neighborhoods. Related themes are highlighted and limitations caused by problems of institutional constraints, political…

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals often are called upon to work with groups that are seeking to create healthier communities. This article offers an expanded perspective on what it means to include a family focus in these discussions and it answers the question, How does a family perspective lead to different solutions for creating…

Working with Romanian colleagues from the Institute of Public Health, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, researchers set out to discover what health promotion strategies and interventions were being used by Romanian health professionals, to find out who Romanian citizens learn healthy behaviors from, and to discover the perceived needs regarding health…

The Join Together National Advisory Committee was created to help communities be more effective in developing and implementing strategies to reduce the harm from substance abuse. Join Together conducted this national report to describe community coalitions and to assess their contributions and needs. The findings are intended to help coalitions,…

Part of the Understanding Our Environment project that is designed to engage students in investigating specific environmental problems through concrete activity and direct experience, this unit contains a role-play activity in the form of a public inquiry into the cause of a fish kill on a river that runs through the fictional town of Oakwood. A…