This article develops a pedagogical approach to increase students' ability to locate and (re-)create publics for the issues about which they care most. By drawing Rhetorical Genre Studies into public sphere theories, this approach blurs the boundaries between widely-dispersed genres (those with large readerships across communities) and…

Sustainable development is a priority area of research in many countries and regions nowadays. This paper illustrates how a multi-stakeholders engagement process can be applied to identify and prioritize the local community's concerns and issues regarding sustainable development in Hong Kong. Ten priority areas covering a wide range of community's…

Leslie David Burns calls teachers to the political forefront, believing that we need to educate our communities about our work by dispelling inaccurate public assumptions about literacy, "best" teaching practices, and accountability standards. He provides teachers with a list of practical steps for "intentional political action" at the grassroots…

Reviews knowledge of the following three related areas of concern: (1) the portrayal of science and scientists in popular culture; (2) community attitudes toward science and scientists; and (3) student perceptions of scientists. The relevance of these three areas of concern for science educators is also addressed. (JN)

School District 126 in Cook County (Illinois) conducts its own opinion polls to stay in touch with its constituents--and then puts the results to use. (Author)

Valencia, Perez & Echeveste (VPE) and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) designed a survey to capture Latino adults' opinions about the benefits, importance, and costs associated with enrolling children in pre-kindergarten programs. The objective of the survey was to gauge support for government-subsidized pre-kindergarten programs among…

Energy education at colleges and universities has expanded rapidly to include programs, conferences, and workshops to raise public consciousness about energy issues. The range of energy education programs includes consumer-oriented courses, vocational courses, advanced courses, nondegree courses, energy research, and community service programs.…

Discusses results of a survey that compared visions of library leaders to public attitudes about libraries and technology. Topics include conflict between the personal image of libraries versus impersonal technology; the need for reassurance that reading is not being replaced by computers; and the role of the librarian and the library. (LRW)

Describes how the Starkville, Mississippi, Public Schools installed a telephone call-in response line to elicit parent and community comments. Offers tips for setting up a telephone response line. (LMI)

Explanations are sought for Western Australia's disillusionment during the Great Depression with the state's education system and subsequent policies to impose accountability and economy and foster a utilitarian emphasis in the curricula. Community attitudes in the 1930s resemble those during the recession of the 1970s. (MSE)

In December 1994 the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty published an analysis of antihomeless laws and policies in 42 American cities. This report draws on those findings to focus on attempts to shut down or exclude service providers. Searches of the media, telephone interviews with service providers and public interest groups and…

"Women Times Three--Women Working, Raising Children, Growing Older," a project conceived by the Saint Francis College Social Work Program, was implemented via 12 town meetings in 3 communities in Pennsylvania's Cambria County over a 3-month period in 1977. The project's purpose was to provide a low-key forum wherein both women and men of…

It is increasingly clear that even the best schools must engage in systematic and continuous appraisal of their performance, in partnership with the community. A joint planning process could start by engaging citizens in identifying critical issues, relevant assets, and key strategies that can move the community toward a preferred future. Chapter…

Most people see a tactical barrier to implementing service learning (SL), which is how to create the infrastructure that makes SL possible without placing undue burden on schools, people, and teachers. Teachers must be shown how SL can be seamlessly incorporated into their teaching. The media are not especially concerned with SL, but coverage is…