In the past year, the Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC), Region 13 Comprehensive Center (R13CC), and Regional Educational Laboratory West (REL West) partnered to convene directors of Indian education at state education agencies (SEAs) to learn together, explore challenges and opportunities of practice, and advance equity for Native students.…

Rural schools make up a considerable portion of Oklahoma's public education system. These schools are an integral part of community life for many rural towns. They are also a critical part of Oklahoma's economy, responsible for training the next generation of thinkers, workers, builders, and leaders. Unfortunately, data suggest that many of…

"Disrupting Disruption" shows how three racially and ethnically diverse school districts--Union NJ, Union City OK, and Roanoke City VA--have defied the demographic odds, boosting overall graduation rates while shrinking or eliminating the opportunity gap. These districts resemble many others in their student population. What makes them…

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. Over the years, the program has evolved to become a local afterschool model -- serving students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools in…

In today's global economy, a high-quality, comprehensive education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity--it is a prerequisite for success. Such an education must promote academic knowledge and skills, as well as the kind of individual and social competencies that are essential for navigating the relationships and challenges of the modern…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore physical and psychological elements conducive to engaging educators from K-12 and higher education in meaningful exchanges that lead to collective action. Research Design: Through a qualitative case study of two higher education sites focused on advancing academically-based service learning…

Many would agree on the primacy of a high quality education for social and economic health, democracy, and individual prosperity, but scarcely a week goes by that we do not hear that a quality education for all children is not possible. Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) and their partners are told that parents don't care;…

The Bagby, Oklahoma, Human Resources Center was conceived in the mid-1970s as a model of community education and unified services. It was built with federal grant money to serve as a middle school, library, human services office, and meeting space for Bagby, a growing town of about 5,000. As envisioned, it was to serve all parts of the population,…

A 1978 preliminary study assessed the attitudes of the residents of Glencoe, Oklahoma, concerning the existing school system and the interest in possible development of a community education program. A door to door and telephone survey was administered to 157 households (a 50% sampling), using a 15-item questionnaire, to determine the attitude…

The Oklahoma City arts-in-education program uses community arts and educational organizations as resources for a program in which all offerings are carefully related to the curriculum, curriculum themes provide the arts with access to other subjects, and everything is designed to meet the objectives of the school system. (Author/IRT)

A 1977 preliminary study for the Community Education Advisory Council of Blanchard, Oklahoma, done in conjunction with the Blanchard Public Schools, sought to determine the need for and receptivity to the possible development of a community education program. The survey instrument, administered using a random sample and personal interview method,…

Presents a case study of an innovative school-based health and mental-health project that prevents early school failure. Attributes program success to social work development of broad-based partnerships involving families, schools, communities, and public-policy officials. Describes school/family partnerships that form the core of the model. (RJM)

This study examines the Study Circles program on education that was conducted in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the fall of 1998. Study Circles are a community involvement strategy for collaborative problem solving. They are small, highly participatory groups led by trained facilitators using materials provided by the Study Circles Resource Center. The…

Interviews with two Oklahoma educators involved in community education for Native Americans stress the importance of developing community leaders, understanding cultural differences, preserving cultural heritage, and co-existing with mainstream culture. (SK)

A study, conducted to determine attitude distribution among Oklahomans toward sex education and to analyze the relationship of demographic, sociocultural, and attitudinal factors, found 80 percent of the sample favorable toward sex education. Significant variables in data analysis, as well as implications for building community support for sex…