A central premise supporting educational decentralization is that community members best understand local conditions and are best placed to make local educational decisions. A survey of 643 educators, parents, and community leaders in 18 rural Ghana communities found that all groups lacked well-formulated attitudes about school practices and…

This paper discusses some of the ways in which "low participation" in a Central American adult literacy project, often attributed by planners to "barriers" to or "lack of motivation" for literacy, revealed through ethnographic fieldwork a complex story of resistance and co-option. People engaged with literacy and the…

Uses data from a large community-based research project to examine perceptions of southwestern Saskatchewan residents about schooling's contributions to community sustainability. Area residents highly valued the maintenance of extensive local educational services and were generally satisfied with available services. However, schools offer…

A survey of 94 school boards across Canada provided information on recent developments in board handling of community relations programs. This report discussing the survey findings first notes that 85 percent of the surveyed boards expressed a need to find new, more effective strategies. The second part of the report explores methods used by…

Of potential interest to small towns in rural areas, this report describes England's first attempt at applying to a rural area the concept of a multi-agency information and advice center based on a library. The comprehensive review covers all phases of the project: (1) identification of a community's information and advice needs; (2) consultation…