Community organizing for school reform is a growing national phenomenon, as young people, parents, neighborhood residents, and faith-based institutions struggle to improve the quality and equity of public schooling, particularly in urban school districts. Now a decade old, community organizing projects are influencing local public schools in…

Presents six steps for organizing community forum programs: establish forum steering committees; enlist community organization cosponsors; involve local media; develop related activities and community events; provide for panelist and moderator practice sessions; and develop forum promotional plans. Includes action steps for the forum coordinator.…

Since its founding in 1983, The Jefferson Foundation has engaged increasing numbers of Americans in study and discussion of the U.S. Constitution. Through participation in Jefferson Meetings on the Constitution citizens will come to a fuller understanding of how the Constitution was made, why it designed the national government the way it did, and…

A growing number of charter schools are being designed, launched, and operated by community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs). This resource guide is intended to target a priority technical assistance need: creating and sustaining a healthy relationship between a new charter school and a founding community organization, leading to the creation…

This manual, designed for individuals, agencies, and organizations interested in preventing and intervening in youth violence, is a guide to guides, a map of resources on prevention and intervention. Development of the manual was guided by a number of prevention principles, chiefly, the belief that collaboration is essential for effective youth…

In this manual, the Friends of Black Children Project presents ideas for promoting and facilitating cooperation between social service agencies and black communities who are concerned about the disproportionate number of black children who remain homeless and unadopted. The guide is divided into four sections. Section I presents an overview of the…

Eastern Michigan University is in the second year of a pilot program designed to promote law-related education and partnerships between the university and local communities. The collaborators in the project are the university, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, and the Taylor (Michigan) Public Schools. The goal of the project is to develop…

Public education today involves various citizen groups, state agencies, service organizations, interest groups, institutions of higher education, and other constituencies who influence policies and assist districts with finances, materials, and personnel. This bulletin discusses strategies for organizing these groups into a coalition that…

Agency coordination and cooperation is necessary to establish quality educational programs in rural areas. An example of rural agency cooperation in Tennessee involves business and industry, church, vocational center, community college, United Way, and state and federal agencies in administering, equipping, staffing, and funding a child care and…

Using the school-community council as a vehicle, this manual leads school staffs, parents, community representatives, and school council members step-by-step through suggested tasks to strengthen schools and to help restore confidence in the public school system. Chapter 1, "Schools and Communities Working Together: A Rationale," defines…