Public schools in the US are increasingly charging "pay-to-play" fees for participating in sports. Although these fees can cause reductions in participation, particularly for children from lower-income families, pay-to-play has become a legitimate practice within the field of public education. This study examines what leads some school…

This qualitative study describes a small community of people in Hawai'i who were affiliated with Enewetak, an atoll exposed to nuclear testing by the United States after World War II. Pattern matching is used to compare their social and educational conditions to those of other involuntary migrant groups across the world. The Enewetak community is…

This qualitative study in a Midwestern US city examines how school and community-based organizations support homeless students' connections to education-related resources and relationships. Drawing from organizational brokerage theory, which delineates how individuals' chances to thrive are shaped by the organizations in which they participate,…

This case study is an investigation of the attitudes, perceptions, and reactions of school staff and community members in a rural pre-boom school district. In the early stage of an oil boom, real and perceived disruptions commonly occur in the schools and communities that are affected. The preparations and responses that residents make to the…

This multiple-case qualitative study was conducted to examine the perceptions of community members, students, and staff regarding school crisis management following a 2006 tornado and 2010 bus accident in a small rural school district in Missouri. Online surveys were collected from 66 participants, and 10 follow-up interviews were completed with…

How do a school and a community interact? This question guided this dissertation examining one rural school and community. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the relationship between the rural Marceline R-V School District (a K-12 school system) and its community, Marceline, Missouri. The framework for this study included the…

Illustrates the use of a particular situated method of interpretation in the analysis of data from three-year case studies of two schools. Analyzes various classroom incidents demonstrating that the particular constraints and affordances of formalized mathematics classrooms to which students become attuned contribute to the development of learning…

Twenty years after the first turmoil of desegregation at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, the school system is now thriving and providing quality education to all students. (MJB)

An outline of political, social, and historical conditions of Atlanta provides a context for viewing that city's school system today. An examination of trends in desegregation and in rising white enrollment seem to indicate that confidence in the public school system is rising. (MJB)

Case studies of four school-based primary care clinic (SBC) sites and one community that disputed SBC-examined organized opposition, how proponents handled opposition, and effects of opposition. Opposition limited SBC services and prevented SBC establishment. To overcome opposition, proponents increased public awareness about youth health issues…

Discusses community reaction and conflict that arose in response to a "values clarification" program initiated in the public schools of Spencer and Van Etten, New York. (GC)

Concurrent case studies of consensus formation and maintenance in school district governance in six New York districts yielded eight critical variables, including environmental constraints, community interest group mobilization, school board and administrator unity, administrative expertise, superintendents' leadership abilities, teacher…

In 1985, Illinois adopted state legislation supporting school district mergers. In one rural district studied, local opposition to consolidation was based on self-interest, ideologies of localism and traditionalism, and (to a lesser extent) research information. Implications for policymakers and the complexity of the "local control"…

As part of a larger study of systemic educational reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines the implementation of the Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) improvement process in the village of Tatitlek in south-central Alaska. The village has about 100 residents, mostly of Alutiiq heritage (Native peoples of Prince William Sound). A…

Case studies of community opposition to school closure decisions in 65 school districts indicated the tendency for opposition to be greater in districts where planning was more comprehensive; in communities where incompabilities were perceived between the superintendent and the board of education; and in urban versus suburban and rural areas. (MJL)