A Swedish report on day care for children between the ages of 7 months and 3 years is summarized in English in this document. Preparation of the original report involved reviewing Swedish and foreign research concerning day nursery for the very young and conducting exploratory and evaluative studies of small children in day nurseries. Chapter by…

Only recently has the need to link rural education programs for workers and economic planning been recognized. This interest in linkages has resulted in a variety of intermediary mechanisms for collaboration. Included among the elements or activities necessary for linking education and economic development are the following: a solid base of…

Even as conceptual models, distinctions between "rural" and "urban" have become blurred--by changes in transportation, telecommunications, computer technology, business expertise, formal education, health care, and citizenry expectations/knowledge. Two typologies describing future trends and incorporating changes in rural/urban…

Examines problems that can occur when research is conducted in culturally diverse communities. The commentary comes from experiences conducting research in a particular African American community. The paper argues that understanding the nuances of appropriate cultural interaction, public discourse, and private meaning are all vital components in…

This policy paper addresses policymakers' concerns about parents' dwindling role in their children's lives and the resulting burden that has been placed on schools. A historical perspective of the roles of families and schools is provided. First, the man's employment in a job outside the home as households left the farm, and then the mother's…

This article presents a case in which age was isolated as a highly significant factor affecting reported community satisfaction. Authors explain the findings as the result of four factors: (1) selective migration, (2) influence of length of residence, (3) acceptance of one's surroundings as one ages, and (4) rising expectations among the younger…

Presents a free-wheeling and insightful interview with Nobel Prize winning author, Toni Morrison. Morrison talks about the nature, benefits, and characteristics of community, drawing examples from her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, and New York City. She also discusses prevalent themes and ideas in her books. (MJP)

This paper examines whether failure to control for family background, aptitude, high school quality, high school curriculum, and community characteristics leads to bias in estimates of the economic return resulting from postsecondary education. High school specific fixed effects were used to control for all observed and unobserved characteristics…

This paper uses data from the Morocco Living Standard Survey in an econometric investigation of the relative effectiveness of supply- and demand-side factors in determining educational outcomes. A wide range of factors are examined that may be responsible for differences in grade completion levels and achievement among sexes, regions, and urban…

The 3-part companion volume to the final report of the Education North Evaluation Project serves as a policy development resource book for anyone who must address questions of school-community relations. Part I focuses on the educational issues of concern to policy makers and their advisors in very remote, interracial, poor northern communities.…

Reasons that Bowie State College in Maryland should participate in the Upward Bound Project are discussed, with attention to geographic and demographic characteristics of the area, school characteristics, and needed services. The college historically has provided educational opportunities for black, disadvantaged students and has been successful…

Rural work-education councils are free-standing voluntary associations of community leaders averaging around 21 to 25 voting members who are organized by task-specific action committees working to improve and expand educational and economic development options and thus ease the education-to-work transition in rural America. There are currently…

A project developed an operational definition of and designed a conceptual framework for evaluating two-year postsecondary educational customized training programs. The definition specifies that customized training requires the following: (1) contracts; (2) payments; (3) relationships to economic development strategies; (4) the delivery of…

The possibility of using the concept of social capital as an analytical tool for exploring lifelong learning and community development was examined. The following were among the topics considered: (1) differences between definitions of the concept of social capital that are based on collective benefit and those that define social capital as a…

This collection of essays addresses the enduring influence and importance of Fred Rogers' 40 years of work in children's television. The 14 essays explore his message of tolerance, courtesy, and self respect, and its influence on children and adults as a counterbalance to social pressures increasingly impinging on children today. The essays are:…