This report presents findings from the Task Force on U.S. Community Colleges, established by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1994 to identify and develop specific ways in which community colleges might help implement USAID's strategies for sustainable development. Following introductory materials, including an…

Many service systems have fundamentally reoriented services by creating infrastructures that link resources from many parts of the community. This paper reviews 50 comprehensive community-based initiatives and describes their costs, results, and methods of finance. The overview defines comprehensive community-based initiatives and outlines…

The Collaborative Early Childhood Special Education Program provides training to students from rural and remote areas in Utah that leads to a certificate in early childhood special education. The program represents a collaborative effort between Utah State University, the University of Utah, and the Utah Office of Education. Contact with special…

The South Carolina State Library's plan for use of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I, II, and III funds is presented. Five chapters include: a profile of the library public, focusing on special needs populations; profiles of the state's libraries and their needs; criteria, priorities, and procedures for library improvement…

The Decker Family Development Center in Barberton (Ohio) is a holistic "one-stop shop" that provides services to families who are at multiple risk. During its 5 years of operation, this center has developed a model that goes beyond cooperation into co-construction to empower stakeholders. This paper describes the center and its successes…

This paper describes the development of the Teachers' Activity Centers (TACs) in Malaysia. The TACs evolved from Local Resource Centers and District Resource Centers of the 1970s and 1980s. The 350 TACs in the country were initially supplied with basic tools for the production of teaching-learning resources. With administrative reorganization, the…

Over 60 members of the State University of New York at Stony Brook faculty and staff worked for almost a year to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the University Libraries, the first phase of which is presented here. The process, which began in the spring of 1991, consisted of three phases: (1) Organization--meeting of the planning team…

This guide provides educators with information about developing partnerships with businesses. It begins with a rationale for forging education-business relationships and highlights benefits to all parties--educators, businesses, and students. The Rhode Island Tech Prep Associate Degree Program is cited as an example of how to create win-win…

This paper examines how, why, and by whom technology is being used in schools. Educational technology is defined as the systematic design and use of hardware and software to achieve specific objectives. Recent studies indicate that the most frequent location of computers in schools is in the administrative office; second is in the library media…

This report of the Distance Education Secondary School Committee of Northern Ontario, which is composed of representatives of the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Independent Learning Centre, Native and French language components of the MOE, and Contact North, discusses the role that the Contact North distance education network can play in the…

This handbook provides information about interagency collaboration and educational partnerships in rural New York to service providers, planners, and policymakers. A survey identified 52 existing collaborative programs involving approximately 190 New York school districts and 100 nondistrict agencies and examined size and configuration of…

This Texas report focuses on the partnerships the Texas Council is creating with people, businesses, and organizations in the community to work toward greater access and accommodations for people with disabilities throughout local communities. Individual partnerships are described that represent cooperation with health and human services agencies,…

Schools and communities will restructure as they move into the next decade. The success of this restructuring will be dependent upon access to and sharing of quality teaching and information through an expanded communication system. One of the major two-way interactive technologies is the fiber-optic cable: a delivery system that will provide…

Rural schools have often lacked sufficient resources to acquire training, consultant, and evaluative services. The expertise of faculty in university teacher and administrator training programs has been largely untapped. This is primarily because of a lack of programs linking rural schools with the university faculties that might provide needed…

This paper describes the activities of the Michigan Department of Education and local districts in establishing a statewide plan for using microcomputers in education. Components of the plan include the design of a computer literacy grant program known as TIME (Technology in Michigan Education); the establishment and funding of a statewide network…