If schools are to succeed, children must be provided with more support than a school can accomplish alone (Barbour et al., 2001). The need to involve community in the educational process to offer services that make students successful and to have these services within the school building are all critical aspects of the community school model…

Democratic or equal participation in decision making is an ideal that community and academic stakeholders engaged in participatory research strive to achieve. This ideal, however, may compete with indigenous peoples' right to self-determination. Study objectives were to assess the perceived influence of multiple community (indigenous) and academic…

The Survey of Community Attitudes and Perceptions (SCAP) was conducted to determine some estimate of how Frostburg State College is perceived by its local community; how people learn about the college, its offerings, and its programs; what people know about the college factually; where do they think the college is headed in terms of growth and…

The introduction to a series of articles in this issue on school public relations discusses the importance that personal experience plays in public attitudes toward schools (MLF)

The results of a survey of sex education" programs in Kansas indicate that despite the current controversy over this topic, there are increasing numbers of school districts in the process of initiating, developing or expanding programs of human growth and development, family life and sex education." (Author)

A Mississippi State University study investigated the perceptions of community and higher education leaders (N=197) concerning the potential socio-economic importance to Americans of establishing continuing links among communities, colleges and universities, and international students and alumni. Individuals surveyed include academic vice…

THE SCHOOL POLITICS OF TWO COMMUNITIES WERE REPORTED. RANDOM-SAMPLE SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED FOR BOTH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF EUGENE AND SPRINGFIELD. INTERVIEWS WERE MADE WITH 703 RANDOMLY SELECTED ADULTS IN EUGENE AND 528 IN SPRINGFIELD. ATTITUDE OR ORIENTATION MEASUREMENTS WERE OBTAINED FOR VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS. THESE…

A concerns analysis is a method of data collection for program improvement budget requests. It is also a public relations tool, opening lines of communication between the school and the community. Data sources for this analysis include employer, parent, and student surveys and the community forum. (SK)

Discusses the importance of communication between schools and communities, as public confidence in schools could be jeopardized if their desires are not in harmony. Describes a survey whose purpose was to compare the community perceptions of a high school with those of the school's teachers. Presents the results and suggestions for change. (AJL)

A feasibility study was made of the Gallup/Kettering plan for support in locally conducted surveys of public opinion about the public schools by implementing the plan in Richmond, Virginia. The methods used in the local survey, as well as the findings and conclusions of the feasibility study, are reported in this document. A related document is ED…

Community is defined and several methods, ranging from formal research to informal observation, that can be used by a college or university to learn about the community are described. Identifying the influentials in the community is seen as essential. (Author/MLW)

This analysis examines the factors associated with a positive attitude toward the funding of local schools. Using data from a 1984 survey of 1,000 Illinois residents, the analysis found that attentiveness to local school issues was the strongest predictor of a positive attitude toward school spending. Suburban residents were less likely to be…

Describes use of community-survey research by seventh-grade social studies students to teach research techniques and survey methodology in an authentic setting and record community attitudes about the school to establish strategic school goals. Concludes that the project provided multiple positive results for students while providing a basis for…

During a door-to-door campaign in August, 1978, 27 South Oklahoma City Junior College (SOCJC) employees distributed approximately 7,000 packets containing a college schedule, a stockholders' report, and a mail-back questionnaire. Additionally, 221 personal interviews were conducted. Of those interviewed, 94.6% had heard of the school. Of those,…

The study described in this paper investigated the relationships between school district and community demographic characteristics, choice of school desegregation strategy, and strategy effectiveness. Respondents from 132 school districts in the Southwestern United States were asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning district and community…