Provides guidelines to involve the entire community in a successful reading fair, based on procedures followed in Newport News, Virginia. (RL)

Local districts can assess public opinion concerning the schools by adapting the questions asked and the data analysis methods used in national Gallup polls for use in local surveys. A comparison of national poll results with results of polls in four Arizona cities illustrates the value of this concept. (PGD)

A program is described in which student work and achievement were displayed during Public Schools Week in a Solano County (California) shopping mall. The purpose of the program is to provide publicity for schools and to reach the 75% of the adult population who have no personal contact with schools. The program description includes: types of…

Increasingly, taxpayers are unwilling to suport educational programs they do not understand. Based on the premise that such support comes from an enlightened public, this article proposes a carefully orchestrated citizen visiting team to examine school programs and report results to the board. Includes two references. (MLH)

With the growing recognition that public perception of education is an essential component of soliciting support, this guide is intended to help public-school principals refine their approaches to communication, marketing, public affairs, and public relations. It instructs principals on looking at public engagement, on building public support, on…

Designed to provide basic guidelines and examples that can be used by community colleges for organizing and conducting community impact studies, this booklet describes the experiences of Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC), Eastfield College (EC), and Valencia Community College (VCC) in conducting their impact studies. Introductory material…

In developing a sex (or "family life") education curriculum, Gloucester Township (New Jersey) Public Schools established a philosophical base (drawing on community, parent, and student feelings); formed planning committees of administrators, parents, and teachers; reviewed existing district programs; designed the curriculum; and…

In fall 1983, a telephone survey was conducted by Macomb Community College (MCC) to assess community perceptions of the college's Center for the Performing Arts (CPA) and to aid in developing marketing strategies for the Center. Interviews were conducted with 500 randomly selected Macomb County (Michigan) residents to determine if they had…

A national study of superintendents reveals that most superintendents (89.6 percent) consider their relationship with the community to be very important, and most (63.5 percent) spend a great deal of time on that relationship. There is a positive correlation between the importance superintendents assign to their relationship to the community and…

This paper describes a survey conducted in 1982 by the Rosemount, Minnesota, school district as a model for other districts wishing to obtain reliable information about their communities at low cost. The paper outlines the following information: (1) the objectives of the survey; (2) the district's constraints and resources; (3) preliminary…

Classroom teachers are presented with a rationale and general information for teaching about controversial issues. Following an introduction, material is arranged in six sections under topical questions. The first section considers educational and social benefits of teaching about controversy. Motivation, application of social studies content and…

To determine the public perception of schools and school leaders, this study questioned people with knowledge of and opinions about their local schools, allowing open-ended responses to a question about confidence in their schools: "What are the sources of your confidence in this school (or school district)?" Although data are incomplete and…

The community and the public school system are on a head-on collision course. Community concerns are taxes, poor teaching, and school responsibility for social ills. Educators "know" what is best and perceive challenges as threats to their integrity. The situation intensifies in rural settings. Good communication can alleviate dissonance/mistrust.…

By using the deductive or the inductive approach to needs assessment, or a combination of both approaches, school administrators can allocate physical or human resources in accordance with community priorities. (DCS)

By focusing on the entire community as stakeholders in the public schools, the school board, the superintendent, and principals are forced to identify and cultivate the diverse groups in the community. Eight essential steps to developing an effective stakeholder management strategy are listed. (Author/DCS)