Although the economic expansion of the 1990s was felt even in small towns and rural areas, events in recent months point out that the economic health of rural America remains fragile. Rural manufacturing has suffered sizable employment declines in recent months and only modest expansion has occurred in the service sector--the lifeblood of rural…

This publication describes the school-improvement process in three schools participating in Middle Start, a comprehensive school-improvement program for schools with middle grades. Middle Start services, grounded in the Middle Start Principles and Practices, are tailored to a school's specific needs. The schools profiled are Bendle Middle School…

In April, 1919, at the request of the Board of Education of Memphis, Tennessee, the United States Commissioner of Education submitted the conditions on which the Bureau of Education would make a survey of the public school system of that city. This study of the Memphis schools is intended to be a study of policies and practices; not of persons.…

In recent years there has been an increasing interest and emphasis on the staff personnel administrative policies and procedures of local school systems. This interest and emphasis applies not only to the nature or characteristics of the staff personnel policies developed by school systems but also to the methods used in developing policies and…

A national survey reveals that, although selection and review procedures can help when school materials are challenged, there is no substitute for good community relations in reducing those challenges in the first place. (Author/JM)

Studies of persistent poverty in rural Texas, Mississippi, and Appalachia illustrate how political economies that rely on low wages and extreme control over labor generate rigid stratification. This structure of inequality determines social interaction and allocation of opportunities in rural communities, blocking upward mobility, and undermines…

This collection of 31 essays examines the idea of community rooted in a particular place, usually a small town or rural place. Many essays comment on the role of education in promoting the transient materialistic lifestyle or suggest ways in which education could foster place attachment and community building. Essays specifically focused on…

The need for new standards has arisen in Florida public libraries as a result of the library profession's shift from quantitative, input-based standards to qualitative, output-based standards to measure library performance and excellence. The standards in this document were developed after over 100 participants identified subjects to be addressed…

Written in English and French, this report presents views of Canadian Aboriginal community members about developing healthy communities. In-depth interviews were conducted with elders, youth, parents, political leaders, victims, offenders, and government employees in five Aboriginal communities, and telephone and mail surveys were conducted in…

Results are reported of four community dialogues held in Seattle, Washington, involving members of the community, residents of the nearby Firlands Mini-Prison, and professionals working in various areas of legal and justice systems. The four dialogue sessions covered the following topics: (1) the correctional system as a reflection of social…

This monograph provides a description of the teaching methods and goals of the "Assessment of Neighborhood/Transnational Human Relations through Original Studies" (ANTHROS) project. ANTHROS is a team-effort community discovery project for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. Its aim is to increase knowledge of the international links of…

THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN IN THE MEDIUM-SIZED PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH GROUPS AND AGENCIES EXTERNAL TO THE LIBRARY ARE DESCRIBED AND ANALYZED. HIS PROFESSIONAL, TRUSTEE, AND GOVERNMENTAL EXPECTATIONS ARE DERIVED FROM THE LITERATURE BY AND ABOUT LIBRARY ADMINISTRATORS AND FROM INTERVIEWS WITH PUBLIC LIBRARY ADMINISTRATORS. COMMUNITY…

This paper provides an overview of events and issues in school desegregation that have significant impact on teachers and teacher associations. The displacement of black teachers as a result of desegregation prior to 1972 is assessed. Various court decisions in 1972-73 and the passage of the Emergency School Aid Act are cited as marking a turning…

Attaining good public relations may be the most important and most difficult job facing a school board. To meet this problem, a communications expert should be hired at the assistant superintendent level to develop and implement a communications plan. This expert should hold strong credentials and be recruited and hired directly by the…

A new method of rapid low-cost communication between government officials and citizens is proposed and outlined. Relevant facts and opposing views on an issue are sent to citizens, who then have a week to express their opinions by dialing a special televoter number which is different for every citizen. Votes are then counted by computer, and…