The paper introduces a 3-level paradigm for community assessment. First, Raza communities are conceptualized as belonging to three phases--culturally homogeneous, culturally in transition, and culturally heterogeneous. Each phase is determined by the proximity of the cities'"barrios" to the home country (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America) and…

Culture is viewed from a sociological perspective through presentation of a case study of social consciousness in San Francisco. Referring to the work of Milton Gordon, the author discusses two theories of social integration. The first theory of assimilation is defined as a process of social and psychological adherence to a core society. The…

Community-related activities, such as interviewing long-time residents, checking primary sources, identifying and mapping historical sites, studying local artists and craftspeople, writing a community profile, using different media, and organizing a school/community week can help establish greater relevance and meaning for rural students. (MH)

This study examined the relationship between a small rural school in northeast Georgia and its surrounding community. Three teachers, two community members, and three students used cameras to collect data related to their perceptions of the school-community relationship. They created photographs, then wrote about their photos, and finally, held…

Describes a community study project that uses history and the five fundamental themes of geography as a framework. The project involves organizing committees to study the need for a traffic signal in a small town. By studying various dimensions of the issue, the committees are able to demonstrate the need for a signal. (KO)

Examines the pitfalls and obstacles of applying a professional historian's standards to the practice of writing and researching local history. These include unreliable and incomplete records as well as sponsoring agencies that prefer sanitized legends to historical accuracy. Nonetheless, praises local history as a rich resource and recommends…

This issue of the Goldfinch focuses on communities. Ethnic groups, religious groups, schools, families, even the Internet, are used as examples of communities in Iowa. Forced communities are exemplified by migration, law, natural disasters, and sometimes education. Photographs from Iowa's past show the changing nature of communities and encourage…

This unit is designed to help teachers of students in grades one through three in the Northwest Territories (Canada) meet social studies program goals and to develop student language learning. The unit focuses on Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, and features nine lesson plans: location, physical features, transportation,…

There is concern that laypersons participating in environmental or natural resource decision making cannot or do not engage the scientific and technical information sufficiently to integrate that information into the decisions and reach a highquality, science-based decision. This study examined how thirteen citizens participating in two Superfund…

This report describes a preliminary methodology by which distressed communities may be identified using school districts as the basic unit for the presentation of data. Distress consists of a concentration of the following types of need: (1) economic; (2) social; and (3) educational. Distress was measured by an index that determined a district's…

Belle Fourche High School in South Dakota has developed a curriculum for an entrepreneurial approach to education. This paper contains the history of the school's adoption of this program, as well as course descriptions and standards. In 1988, Belle Fourche High School, Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, and the McREL (Mid-Continent…

An historical journal compiled by advanced placement American history high school students contains 10 articles about the experiences of residents of Amityville, New York, during World War II. Students used secondary sources, first-hand newspaper accounts, oral interviews, and primary source documents to recreate Amityville as it was during those…

Based on a study by the Department of Community Service Education, Cornell University, to evaluate human service planning (HSP) nationwide, this paper discusses the premises that HSP may be defined as community learning and that the community (according to the Robert Boyd and Jerold Apps model for adult education) is both a beneficiary of and…

Trends, tips, and resources for teaching local and family history are identified in this state-of-the-art paper. Using the local community as a historical resource can make American history more relevant and meaningful to students and aids in the development of a wide range of skills, including library use skills, writing skills, and skills used…

The purpose of this guidebook is to assist individuals to create a personalized, streamlined lifestyle through self-study. The material can be used either as a self-instructional manual or as an instructor's guide. The term omniology, coined to describe on-going, general lifetime learning by those who have "dreams in life and pursue those…