Lopez Island is located in the archipelago of San Juan Islands off the northwest coast of Washington State. Breathtaking mountain vistas, sparkling shorelines, forests, and pastoral landscapes filled with sheep and orchards attract many tourists to San Juan County each year. This isolated community can only be reached by traveling on ferries,…

The majority of the Houma people live in the southern portions of Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in south Louisiana. This author grew up in the Houma community that had formed in lower Plaquemines Parish, about thirty miles north of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The Houma community there was centered near the town of Venice with extended…

Poverty and unemployment aren't spread evenly across cities or regions, but rather are concentrated in disinvested urban neighborhoods and rural communities around the country. These communities are home to the nation's most vulnerable children and families. Despite some signs of improvement in economic conditions for families in the United…

Engelhard is a very isolated rural community in Hyde County, North Carolina, economically dependent on seafood, small scale agriculture, and logging. In the mid-1980s the agricultural crisis, the decline in seafood landings, and changes in timber industry technology contributed to rising unemployment. Several decades of declining population and…

Discusses increased advocacy for community participation in education. Points out that policies often fail to differentiate between different types of communities. Recognizes that community knowledge bases and motives for supporting education can differ from the governments. Stresses the need for policies to account for diversity of circumstances.…

Presents a communitarian rationale for character education. Communitarians believe that individual liberties depend upon bolstering the foundations of civil society: families, schools, and neighborhoods. Lists four core areas of focus: character education in the schools, building and rebuilding communities, policies to strengthen the family, and…

A comprehensive and adaptable system of organizational arrangements is proposed in this document that will enable educational planners in Latin American countries to develop and deliver learning resources for community education and community action programs. A three-tier system of learning resources centers for community education is described.…