A study investigated the nature and function of 206 New Hampshire and 74 Vermont conservation commissions empowered to protect natural resources. Qualitative and quantitative research methods gathered data from a small number of commissioners and identified common patterns, then tested their prevalence through a survey of all commissions. Patterns…

The California Main Street Program (MSP) provides technical assistance to rural communities facing rapid growth and downtown decay, serving as a vehicle for local stimulation and revitalization of downtown area businesses. This five-part handbook presents strategies for creating partnerships between California's MSPs and the state's community…

An exploratory study designed to analyze the evolution of neighborhood movements in Rio de Janeiro City (Brazil) focuses on actions related to the struggle for public schools. The effort seeks to determine the degree of political autonomy of the neighborhood associations and the nature of the educational demands and their relationship with the…

This handbook on participative learning is designed for workers involved in community and adult education programs, staff development, and youth, community, and social work organizations. The introduction explores a theoretical basis for participative learning and defines terms. Chapter 1 examines program planning issues and includes some useful…

The Third World countries of Botswana and Tanzania have used Radio Learning Group (RLG) campaigns effectively to get a limited amount of important information to a very large group of people at the same time. During campaigns voluntary participants organized in groups of 5-20 meet twice a week for about 5 weeks to listen to radio broadcasts about…

The grassroots Rural Communities Educational Cooperative (RCEC) made higher education accessible/affordable to adults in rural Appalachian communities, designed courses for competency-based rural education, and received high ratings from students and faculty. The Mountain Women's Exchange--a network of seven community organizations run by…

Focusing on the period from June, 1984 through November, 1984, this report summarizes the activities of the Gulf Coast Future Issues Council (GCFIC), a non-profit corporation organized as a coordination center of community research, forecasting, trend analysis, and educational activities. After introductory material that highlights the role of the…

This evaluation of the second-year (1986-87) implementation of the New York City (New York) Dropout Prevention Initiative (DPI) in 13 high schools focuses on student characteristics and outcomes, with a discussion of a set of statistical data on program services, findings on school-level indicators of program effectiveness, and an analysis of…

This paper summarizes the results of a National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) survey of community-based organizations (CBOs) about the effects of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Findings are summarized in these areas: (1) changes in funding for training disadvantaged youth, (2) changes in service to youth, (3) the role of CBOs in the…

This booklet presents a set of Child Welfare League standards for group home foster care services for children and adolescents provided through authorized public or voluntary social agencies. Group home services, as described in the standards, have characteristics of both foster family and institutional services, offering a relationship with a…

The procedures and outcomes of community research training programs whose participants were mostly women and minority students in Boston, Los Angeles, and Atlanta are examined in this report. Each training program consisted of two phases with emphases on the development of basic research skills and field work experience in community organizations.…

Intended to help community organizations interested in sponsoring and developing a vocational program, this reference guide identifies and discusses some major administrative, financial, and program concerns that constitute the embedding context of successful vocational education programs. Focus of the guide is on core elements that must be in…

Now completing its second year, the Partnership for Rural Improvement (PRI) is a four year rural development program funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Its fundamental purpose is the development of a linkage system connecting the research and development of knowledge about rural improvement with the dissemination and use of that knowledge.…

The major findings of Vice President Mondale's Task Force on Youth Employment were obtained from a review of current programs, interviews with youth, and conferences involving national and community leaders. First, youth employment problems and opportunities are unevenly distributed. Without a bold new initiative, the 1980's are likely to…

This is the sixth of eight volumes consisting of series of publications of the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults (CSLEA), such as Notes and Essays, Research Reports, Occasional Papers, and Conference Reports. These materials provide both theory and practice in the area of non-credit adult liberal education offered by colleges…