Community attitudes toward birth fathers were examined using 82 exploratory qualitative interviews and 706 survey respondents in Canada. Community attitudes were more positive toward birth fathers raising their children over adoption, when birth mothers were unable or unwilling to parent the child. Overall, respondents considered birth fathers…

Summarizes major opinion differences between the general public and professional educators uncovered in the April 1987 "Phi Delta Kappan" Gallup Poll. Educators differed regarding biggest problems; improvement progress; community school ratings; the voucher system; organized prayer; parental choice of curricular materials; physical…

The author discusses ritual as a process of creating social frameworks through the mobilization of communal sentiment and purpose. He presents a case study in which the ritual process was applied by an external change agent to develop social partnerships and local support for the establishment of a community center. (SK)

Describes the gender positioning strategies adopted by a male Australian preschool teacher-director as he faces attitudes that early childhood education is "women's work." Discusses implications of a greater male presence in early childhood education. (JPB)

Few instruments exist for measuring community perceptions of local schools. The Social Style Profile Model, originally developed to describe individual behavior, adapts very well to organizations. Knowing a school's perceived social behavior style and its level of versatile behavior makes for improved school management and school-community…

Teachers used a nonexclusionary time-out package emphasizing ongoing participation to treat inappropriate social behaviors in 4 classrooms of roughly 16 preschool children each. Behavior improved in terms of several measures including direct observation. Opinions of treatment acceptability from a survey of 210 lay people were also found to support…

Vietnamese immigrants constitute 28% of the population of the small town of Amelia, Louisiana. Vietnamese are characterized by their neighbors as family oriented, hardworking, and self-disciplined. The principal of the local elementary school describes the Vietnamese students as bright and motivated. The local Vietnamese priest expresses concern…

Traces the establishment of the Salem School and Orphanage for African Americans in Elk Park, North Carolina in the late nineteenth century, when mission work on behalf of African Americans in Appalachia was rare. The school was started by Emily Prudden and run by White Mennonite missionaries who faced threats and racism from the surrounding…

Discusses the use of the National Issues Forum's (NIF's) town meetings in efforts to increase citizen participation in democratic processes. Describes the Catholic adaptation of the NIF approach, providing examples of its use at the high school, college, and community level. (MAB)

Describes the response of a community in Indiana to charges of teacher racism and the resurfacing of the Ku Klux Klan in the area. Focuses on a march and rally for tolerance organized entirely by high school students. The "Wawasee Cares" campaign is bringing about positive community change. (SLD)

In rural Oklahoma, the role of the superintendent is often vastly different than that of superintendents in large cities. The superintendent is the leader of the school district, which is typically the community's largest employer. There are a few examples of superintendents who embrace this sometimes overwhelming responsibility and who are often…

Valencia, Perez & Echeveste (VPE) and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) designed a survey to capture Latino adults' opinions about the benefits, importance, and costs associated with enrolling children in pre-kindergarten programs. The objective of the survey was to gauge support for government-subsidized pre-kindergarten programs among…

The booklet describes Project ABC (Any Baby Can), a model networking effort to promote coordinated services for disabled and high-risk infants in San Antonio, Texas. The model features a volunteer, grass-roots emphasis in an aggressive community awareness campaign with a long-term goal of improving the effectiveness of social services and health…

The purpose of this research was to study a school district in a small American city to understand who controls school curriculum in the local community. The research approach used was reputational analysis, a survey method whereby the reputed influence of leaders is measured rather than taken for granted. Also used was a technique developed by…

This reprinted 1986 article describes the variation that takes place from country to country in attitudes toward special education for gifted children. Causes of variations appear to be the degree of perceived national need for intellectual resources and the degree of liberal versus conservative political forces present in the society. (VW)