Over the last 2 decades, the loss of population and businesses in many small, inland, and remote Australian rural communities has intensified, largely because of the stress and uncertainty of volatile world commodity markets. This manual presents a range of survival and revival strategies that some communities have used to build resilient…

In 1988, IBP, the world's largest meat processing firm, announced it would open a beefpacking plant in Lexington, Nebraska. This was part of the latest wave of meatpacking restructuring which moved plants away from urban centers and union strongholds to rural communities. This paper examines community changes accompanying the opening of a large…

The Montana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights examined the extent of equal educational opportunity and educational quality offered to Native American children in Montana public schools. Fact-finding meetings were held in Billings (December 10, 1996) and Missoula (April 24, 1997). Chapter 1 of this report outlines the…

In the spring of 2001, the mayor of Anchorage (Alaska) created a task force to develop recommendations to help heal racism in Anchorage. A series of focus groups were held throughout the community to obtain an assessment of attitudes and opinions about the quality of life in Anchorage from the perspective of different racial groups and to solicit…

Describes cultural traits, lifestyles, and economic opportunities of different immigrant ethnic groups in Los Angeles, California; examines interrelationships among these groups and their relationships with Blacks and Whites; and explores problems due to increasing immigration and the resultant growth in size and variety of the Los Angeles…

Discusses two situations dealing with juvenile delinquency: (1) prejudicial attitudes stemming from racism and how they are reflected in the service delivery infrastructure, service accessibility and utilization, and the development of more appropriate intervention strategies; and (2) the elements of small groups and families in a community…

A case study of Aboriginal education in Geraldton, Western Australia, looked at the cycle of low educational attainment, unemployment, and poverty; national and state programs to support Aboriginal students and parent involvement; and community attitudes toward existing programs and proposed improvement strategies. A 1-year plan is detailed for…

This commentary on Enrique Gracia's (2003) article, "Social Isolation from Communities and Child Maltreatment: A Cross-Cultural Perspective," discusses the relationship of neighborhood context to child maltreatment. The difficulty of sorting out individual and contextual factors is emphasized, along with the problem of clearly defining the unit of…

Personnel at seven Northern California school districts were interviewed concerning implementation of Proposition 227. The disposition of district staff toward primary-language instruction and community attitudes influenced district policy; district decisions largely determined school policy; change occurred at all sites and was most evident in…

From November 1993 to February 1994, Riverside Community College (RCC), in California, conducted telephone surveys with 993 households in the college's service area to gather information on the amount and type of demand for educational services, identify factors affecting students decisions about attending a postsecondary institution, evaluate…

These three reports by national consultants assess first year progress in implementing state mandated educational reforms in Kentucky. First, "The Status of Primary School Reform in Kentucky and Its Implications," by James Rath, Lilian Katz, and John Fanning, reports on site visits to 14 public schools to assess progress in implementing…

To identify postsecondary educational needs within its rapidly growing service area, factors preventing students from taking classes at the colleges, and services that would encourage students to take classes, Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) surveyed all Greene County households in April 1993. A total of 4,625 surveys were mailed,…

Concern that Canadian Native illiteracy was being ignored or addressed ineffectively prompted this report, which includes a literature review, findings from a survey in several Native communities, and an overview of innovative practices and illustrative programs. The survey, conducted with 56 potential literacy learners from 8 geographically and…

This study identified the needs, aspirations, and hindrances defining and delineating adult literacy education in the Riverina region, New South Wales, Australia. Information sources were policy, opinion, memories, literature, and statistics. A profile of the region showed that the population was basically white and of Anglo-Saxon heritage.…

The paper summarizes recruitment and retention approaches designed to assist rural school administrators in securing/holding well-prepared/qualified teachers and presents findings from a 1985 study that examined teachers' perceptions of professional preparation. Outlined recruitment approaches include paying candidate's interview and moving…