This chapter describes the historical and contemporary theoretical underpinnings of learning communities and argues that there is a need for more complex models in conceptualizing and assessing their effectiveness.

This manuscript describes a statewide initiative to implement a training model for educators and parents of children with disabilities in more than 90 public school districts and 20 higher education institutions. The proposed model was designed to facilitate positive changes among families, teachers and administrators by increasing their…

Work-based learning (WBL) has long been used in career and technical education (CTE) to allow students to practice the knowledge and skills they acquire in the classroom within a "real-world" business or industry setting. High-quality work placements reinforce schoolbased instruction by providing students with a context for applying…

Within professional learning communities, the processes of shared reflection and critique, or critical transformative dialogues are considered crucial for the maintenance and improvement of professional practice. This paper focuses on the development of the processes of critical transformative dialogues and their application in the professional…

As community colleges face increasingly tight budgets and calls for a renewed focus on improving student outcomes in the form of graduation rates, colleges must address the concept of access. How much access to higher education can they continue to provide low-skilled students in adult education and similar programs? One way to ensure access to…

In this article, current practices were reviewed in mentoring and induction across three large states--New York, Texas, and California--and one small state, Utah. Patterns and trends are described in the United States, program results and evolving views of mentoring are discussed, gaps in the research literature are identified, and the future of…

Indigenous communities have engaged in needs and resources assessments for thousands of years. By blending CBPR/TPR approaches with community-driven assets and needs assessments, academic and community based researchers can work together to better understand and identify community strengths as well as issues of concern in Native communities. This…

This article reviews and examines findings on the impact of racial discrimination on the development and functioning of children of color in the US. Based on current definitions of violence and child maltreatment, exposure to racial discrimination should be considered as a form of violence that can significantly impact child outcomes and limit the…

The educational achievement and attainment of young people in the United States has been a long-standing issue of concern. While analyses of long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students in the United States have made gains in reading and mathematics over the past few decades, a sizeable…

Examines how collaborative, community research on adolescents can generate local data to guide community policies and programs on behalf of adolescents and contribute to our scientific knowledge base. Discusses the limited utility of the scientific knowledge base for nonresearchers interested in promoting youth development at the community level.…

The second part of a three-part assessment of community education research needs, this report attempted to formulate research questions and identify research needs related to interagency partnerships in community education. It begins with a glossary and statement of the historical basis for interagency relationships. The types of agencies…

Describes evolution of a program to train doctoral level psychologists to provide outreach preventive services to rural communities using a year long practicum including didactic and experiential components. Discusses difficulties of outreach work in small communities, community response, tailoring intervention strategies to needs of specific…

Provides a basic programming model for the community services coordinator in the community college and discusses informational support sources. Problems associated with successful programming, such as failure to evaluate, relying on past achievements, and overextension of staff are discussed. Research regarding planning models is suggested.…

This dissertation is a case study of the Van Riper-Hopper House Museum in Wayne Township, New Jersey. The study was undertaken to determine and to illustrate the kinds of educational contributions which local historical museums can make within their communities. Chapter one introduces the nature and scope of the study. A review of related…

Offers guidelines for selecting community members for systemic restructuring efforts in public schools. Definitions of community and of systemic restructuring, or educational systems design, are presented; the importance of selection efforts is discussed; a community selection model is described and explained; and further research is suggested.…