Like most other Western countries, New Zealand has been undergoing considerable change in its rural communities for some decades. Alongside the changes in rural New Zealand, there has been what many commentators argue, a paradigm shift in education from a "front-loaded" model dominated by schooling to one of lifelong learning. This…

A study of two rural independent living demonstration projects contrasts successful approaches: an independent living center and the integration of independent living philosophy and practices into an existing service network. Presents demographic information; community resources; and interview results from disabled persons, religious leaders, and…

The establishment of new manufacturing plants in 5 towns in Kentucky had a negative net fiscal impact on most local governmental units during 1958-63. In most of the counties studied, the direct effect of locating new manufacturing plants in the small towns was to increase the costs of government for the school district, and often the town,…

Case studies of five rural Nebraska communities identified why some rural communities have survived economic trends stemming from the worst agricultural economic crisis since the Great Depression, while others seem to have surrendered. Background information on each community was gathered from available state, federal, and private information…

This book explores race relations between Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans in "Middlewest," a fictitious name for an actual rural Idaho community with the highest proportion of Mexican Americans in the state. Many Mexican Americans in this predominantly agricultural area are current or former migrant workers. The first chapter…

Designed to help local government officials, agency personnel, and members of citizen groups involved in the planning process for a rapidly growing community, this introduction to community needs assessment provides background information on the reasons for conducting community needs assessment, guidelines for determining which techniques are most…