An emerging secondary school curriculum focus is on the study of the people and places closest to students themselves--their own families and the communities in which they live. These studies are popular because they start with the lives of students; help define students' self-concepts; focus student attention on areas for effective social action; promote the skills basic to becoming an effective family member, parent, and community member; and provide students with the least expensive and most extensive "media kit" available to them for an educational purpose. One approach to family education is to integrate elements into existing courses, the other is to probe more deeply than is possible in an integrated context into the skills, processes, and attitudinal requirements for a satisfying family life. Two features of community study merit notice: a close, naming-names-type of analysis of the community that leads to student-generated proposals for community betterment and the use of the community as a teaching/learning resource through carefully structured student internships and other community service opportunities. Examples of active programs are given and a brief annotated bibliography is included. (Author/IRT)