Service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) practitioner-scholars--meaning all who do the work of SLCE with a commitment to integrating practice and study--find avenues to this work in a variety of ways. Through custom-made pathways, graduate students are forced to articulate and define their place in the academy, which can enhance voice,…

Building relationships is the essence of the community college. Higher education administrators learned long ago that building rapport with businesses, state and local government, and constituents is the best way to represent the interests of the community. But that does not make it easy. Board members come and go and the shifting dynamics of…

Although many school boards' policies on public use of school district facilities are deliberately vague and allow administrators great flexibility in their interpretation, this paper advocates well-defined regulations. It presents a sample policy, discusses legal concerns, and suggests essential provisions of facility-use policy. The policy…

Thirteen papers on Kansas and Johnson County, Kansas history are presented. The papers were written by students in a course at the Johnson County Center for Local History or for independent study in local history. The papers are: "Conditions and Construction of Gardner Lake"; "The History of St. Joseph's Church, Shawnee,…

This paper studies the needs and strengths of rural schools with the intent of improving rural science education. It examines the history of rural schools, and posits a rural-to-urban continuum of characteristics, citing studies that indicate rural schools are more effective in some ways than urban schools. The paper looks at needs of rural/small…

In our global information society, citizens of most nations, states, and communities have the opportunity to compete for jobs to produce standardized products of about the same quality. It is smart people--not smart machines--that separate one competitor from another. The foundation of a healthy economy for Kansas is people, the human capital,…

A day and a half meeting of executive directors and staff of 11 members of the National Association of Child Advocates (NACA) was convened at the request of Kansas Action for Children to inform its efforts to build a constituency for children in Kansas. Child advocates are increasingly recognizing the need to build and mobilize constituencies for…

The Manhattan, Kansas, public school system made a concerted effort to improve an already effective school system. The IDEA School Improvement Program provided training and materials to members of the school community to facilitate team and skill building. (JOW)

Oral histories provide background information for five essays which address the development of country schools in Western Kansas during the late 1800's. The first paper provides a historical review of the founding of country schools in Western Kansas, with specific country schools (many are now historical sites) described. The second paper…

Kansas State University and the Topeka Public Schools are operating a model leadership academy for the identification and advanced preparation of educational administrators for building-level positions. (JOW)

The monograph, written for persons and organizations at state and local levels who share concern about learning activities for adults in rural America, explores characteristics of three traditional providers of nonformal education (the Cooperative Extension Service, public libraries, and community service divisions of community colleges), assesses…

Defines critical academic skills that should be the hallmark of Kansas community college graduates, in anticipation of a legislative mandate for a common accountability measurement system. Presents five key critical competencies: oral and written communication skills, interpersonal and team skills, critical thinking and complex problem-solving…

A planning and study process was undertaken to formulate a new governance system for higher education in Kansas. The research portion involved review of the literature, individual interviews with over 25 decision makers in the state, and consultation with national experts. The work indicated that the state needed to restructure higher education…

The fiscal and demographic realities of the 1980's require increased levels of cooperation between universities and community colleges. Motivated by their mutual self-interest, a large midwestern university, the University of Kansas (KU), and one of its feeder institutions, Johnson County Community College (JCCC), a large comprehensive community…

The presentations comprising this report examine the approaches that representatives of small and rural community colleges have used in creating and maintaining positive working relationships with state legislative bodies. After introductory remarks by Herbert E. Phillips, Milton O. Jones discusses the fiscal constraints at small colleges that…