This book examines the efforts of Valley Interfaith--a community-based organization in the south Texas borderlands--to improve the living conditions of low-income residents and immigrants and the public schools their children attend. Valley Interfaith is unusual in that it crosses the boundary separating the worlds of community organizing and…

In 1974 American institutions of social service--i.e. nonprofit agencies whose purposes are to assist groups and individuals to maintain or advance themselves in the social order--are in the midst of a crisis of confidence. As a social order, Americans are least effective in delivering social service to those who are impoverished, of color,…

Racism is still the central problem in Mississippi. The White community resists participation by African Americans in every aspect of political, economic, educational, and cultural life. Education is the key to breaking the system, and it is no secret that the state's school boards, legislators, and corporations want to keep Black children and…

This report describes Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's, Alliance Organizing Project (AOP), which organized parents and families of Philadelphia's public school students to become full partners in Philadelphia school reform. It is one of five case studies in the Indicators Project on Education Organizing, which identified eight indicators of the impact…

Describes the formation of local organizations for adult and literacy education created all over Portugal after the end of the fascist regime in 1974, the coordination and certification plan of the Ministry of Education's Division of Continuing Education, and the ensuing legal status of the local "popular" educational associations. (MF)

The papers presented cover three general themes: modern education and curriculum; the legacy of educational thought; and origins and issues in U.S. educational development. Part 1 begins with "The 'New Social Studies' and Curriculum Innovation: The Amherst Project Experience, 1959-1972" (C. E. Samec) which describes the project's…

This report proposes 2 major governance options and 19 programmatic recommendations, partially directed at expanding the role of community-based organizations in improving the quality of vocational-technical education at the Madison Park/Humphrey Center in Boston. The report is based on a study that assessed and presented the views of Black and…

This document is a resource guide intended to assist those serving urban youth and adults in vocational education. The first section lists field-representative publications in the areas of urban education reform, dropout prevention, teen parents, transitions, and support services/programs for adults; general literature; and additional resources.…

This report describes Oakland, California's Oakland Community Organizations (OCO), which is committed to the improvement of long-term prospects for families and youth living in the Oakland flatlands neighborhoods. These are low- to moderate-income, traditionally African American communities where numerous immigrant groups have settled in recent…

Americans rely on public schools to educate and prepare almost 50 million students to become productive members of society. Yet many public schools, particularly those in large cities, face significant challenges: over-crowded classrooms, shortages of highly-qualified teachers, low student achievement, achievement gaps, access to preschool, and…

Because demographic and social changes in rural communities also affect small and rural school environments, schools must consider the impact of community change and plan accordingly. Rural school administrators, who are visible and respected, know how to work with groups, and understand the local community, are well qualified to provide their…

As part of Brazil's over-all reform of its educational system, the government's Department of Planning and Coordination, Economic and Social Welfare Bureau, published this report of the indirect grants given to national educational programs by private funds. There are 31 groups represented as contributors including professional and trade…

Examined is the educational bureaucracy in New York City and its relation to other city institutions, civic groups, and teachers and administrators. The book contains chapters on the failure of desegregation, demographic and housing patterns, the neighborhood school movement, civil rights organizations, white liberals, and the moderates. Also…

This document is an abridged version of a longer study of the New York City school system which has been published under the title "110 Livingston Street" (see UD 007 624). Discussed here are New York City's struggle over school desegregation, the Board of Education and its top decision makers, and the demographic and housing patterns in…

This book analyzes how community-based organizations in low income urban neighborhoods can promote reform of their local public schools. Chapter 1, "Reassessing the Declining Urban Neighborhood," discusses the sources of urban decline in terms of a structural relationship between "haves" and "have-nots." Chapter 2,…