Discusses several topics and activities to help urban youths develop survival skills that will help them cope with urban anxieties. (GB)

Deplores the great lack of understanding of minority and low income students by teachers and counselors; explains why there is lack of understanding, and suggests a possible solution. (DM)

Although most educational systems are resistant to change, there are some features of the community, of the teachers, of government, and of the system that enable one to predict the likelihood of an innovation being accepted and implemented. (AL)

Analyzing the 1988 Johns Hopkins University survey data, researchers found that curricular opportunities and classroom learning tasks experienced by students depend on school characteristics (size, grade span, and student/teacher ratio). Also important were the type of community served, family socioeconomic background, and the student body's…

Examines several reasons why news media fail to communicate public affairs information effectively within communities. Reviews recent research on knowledge gaps and examines factors which have been found to increase or decrease the likelihood of such gaps. Discusses theoretical explanations for these associations and outlines areas for theory…

Explores the relevance of environmental education in modern society, focusing on urban areas. Environmental education can enable a relevant and fulfilling education within a community-specific environment. Properly conceptualized, environmental education has much to offer all communities. (SLD)

Finds that a press kit sent by an environmental group to midwestern newspapers influenced them to delegate local staff to cover the story. Indicates that the press's function to report or raise issues concerning industrial toxic releases and related health risks is tempered by community structure and particularly by community reliance on…

Explores how rural communities influence school-level processes facilitating effective instruction. Rural community influences on structural aspects of schools (resources, instructional time, curricular emphasis, grouping practices, extra support, and parent involvement) vary, depending on the community's values. Rural communities can both…

In the studies described, focus groups were conducted with recreation administrators, special-interest groups, and the general public to determine needs and opinions about recreation and leisure activities. The ways in which the groups elicited information about the needs, language, and history of the community are discussed. (SLD)

Presents brief reviews of 26 picture books, chapter books, and informational books that deal with families and/or communities. Notes that the picture books and chapter books cover a wide variety of genres including poetry, realistic fiction, and fantasy and that the informational books have a variety of formats, with the "photo essay" dominating.…

Outlines a conceptual model of parental involvement in family support programs, anchored in ecological and family systems frameworks. Proposes that parental decisions to enroll and remain in support programs are shaped by a variety of factors at different levels of influence, including individual characteristics of the parent and family, provider…

Investigated whether living in a deprived area compounded residents' disadvantaged status and whether area effects contributed to social exclusion. Data from surveys conducted in deprived and socially mixed neighborhoods indicated that both structure and agency were important in influencing neighborhood problems, though living in areas of…

This dissertation explores organizational narratives of engagement initiatives involving two comprehensive universities and the larger regional communities they serve. The purpose of this study is to develop a holistic description of engagement initiatives, reflecting data collected through interviews, documents and other artifacts from…

Baby boomer trends are applied in the development of a conceptual framework that offers a social systems and cultural model for future studies. While there has been considerable recent attention paid to baby boomers, the studies lack a coherent theoretical base that would allow for more advanced and continuing research. Aging baby boomers heading…