"Songspirals are a university for us, they are a map of understandings" (Gay'wu Group of Women, 2019, p. 33). This paper is authored by Bawaka Country, acknowledging Country's ability to teach and share. Country is homeland and place. Country is everything and the relationships that bring everything to life. Country is knowledge. This…

This executive summary describes the study, "Community Conditions That Strengthen Families: Protective Factors Work at the Community Level." The Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), has had a significant influence on how child- and family-serving programs…

As our organizational life becomes more complex and busy, the likelihood of fragmentation and isolation among campus members increases. Conditions such as these call for greater attention to nurturing a sense of community. However, it is not always clear where responsibility for leading the development of campus community resides.

The impacts of poverty in this country cast a long shadow over the issues of education, social mobility, and global competitiveness. Although national conversations regarding income inequality have increased, the topic of poverty in America has not had as much attention. We seem to be at a loss about specific solutions that could address this…

This article links community safety with recidivism and argues that reintegration of offenders is a community responsibility. The paper discusses the role of vocational training for incarcerated offenders as a tool to reduce recidivism. Training and subsequent employment for released offenders are factors that assist them to become contributing…

Facilities stewardship means high-level and pervasive commitment to optimize capital investments, in order to achieve a high-functioning and attractive campus. It includes a major commitment to capital asset preservation and quality. Stewardship is about the long view of an institution's past and future. It ultimately forms the backdrop for…

The UK's coalition government wants to build a "Big Society." The Prime Minister says "we are all in this together" and building it is the responsibility of every citizen as well as every government department. The broad vision is welcome, but everything depends on how the vision is translated into policy and practice. The…

A university president discusses his goal to use the college years, when students live closely together, to create a community where individuals assume responsibility for each other. The writer advocates decision-making with this goal in mind at the forefront. Outdoor spaces and gardens with benches need to be designed to function as inviting…

Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have a recognized track record of preparing graduates for leadership. Perhaps not as well known, however, is the role they have played in growing their own leaders from student to tribal college president. This article presents a few stories of those people who have risen from the student ranks to lead their…

This paper suggests that sharply divergent images of children in Bangladesh reflect different "imagined communities" of society and polity, local and global. Universal concepts of "the rights of the child" contrast strongly with a local culture of "guardianship", as the key social institution that governs children's…

This is a report on Alaska's "local option law" which allows villages to choose one of the following four options on alcohol availability in their communities: (1) the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited unless sold under a community liquor license; (2) the sale of alcoholic beverages is limited to one of several types of retail…

In learning-centered classrooms, the emphasis of classroom management shifts from maintaining behavioral control to fostering student engagement and self-regulation as well as community responsibility. This brief describes classroom management in "learning centered" classrooms, where practices are consistent with recent research knowledge about…

Discusses organizational change strategies that school districts can adopt to help all students achieve at high levels. Provides a chart classifying organizational strategies. Draws implications for superintendents using these strategies. (PKP)

Social services in China are provided primarily by local street offices and residents' committees, both serving as mechanisms for social and political control. Improvements in community development are dependent on professional training and separation from political education and mobilization. (SK)

This brief describes two exceptional model programs for adjudicated youth with disabilities: Woodland Hills Residential Facility in Duluth, Minnesota and the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Walter McGinnis High School in Red Wing, Minnesota. The brief shares best practices from research about these programs as well as insight, commentary, and…