This study of the public libraries in one county in central Iowa examines the workings of the Earlham, Truro, and Winterset libraries, and explores the elements in their respective communities which affect current library services and which have potential implications for future library planning. In addition to detailed profiles of the three…

POWER STRUCTURES IN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES VARY, AND THE MAKEUP OF SCHOOL BOARDS AND STYLE OF SUPERINTENDENTS IN ANY COMMUNITY CAN BE VIEWED AS A REFLECTION OF THESE DIFFERENT POWER RELATIONSHIPS. A COMMUNITY MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY (1) A DOMINATED POWER STRUCTURE, DOMINATED SCHOOL BOARD MAKEUP, AND SERVANT SUPERINTENDENT STYLE, (2) A FACTIONAL…

The purpose of this research was to study a school district in a small American city to understand who controls school curriculum in the local community. The research approach used was reputational analysis, a survey method whereby the reputed influence of leaders is measured rather than taken for granted. Also used was a technique developed by…

As part of a series on library services to disadvantaged adults, this pamphlet provides guidelines for the use of community advisory committees in libraries: the duties and capabilities of such committees, their influence on the library, and their relationships with library boards. The size and composition of the committee are considered, as are…

This report reveals the results of studies made of three groups actively seeking community participation in school affairs in a city noted for its conservative school system. The study utilized participant observation supplemented by interviews and document analysis. Each group had only 15-30 active members and no broad base in the community. All…

This paper describes the beliefs and values of a pluralistic approach to social change and of four competing approaches: social Darwinism, functionalism, militancy, and conflict theory. Stressing the alienation and dogmatism of the competing approaches, the authors relate each approach to its operation in community action projects. Social…

This thesis describes a study that sought to ascertain if evidence could be found to support the idea that a relationship exists between a school administrator's ability to perceive the community power structure and his effectiveness in fulfilling role expectations as judged by his employer. A major thesis underlying this research held that…

Data extracted from the 1960 and 1970 censuses and from a 1976 community survey indicate that community of residence is a crucial factor in shaping attitudes towards social problems. For this reason, community should be viewed as an independent moral order through which individuals attempt to decode the larger society. (Author/WI)

The impact of community leadership and attitudes indicated in news coverage on the subject of school integration is discussed as it relates to the flight of white families to the suburbs. (JD)

The character of education offered by the school and the education acquired by the child are a function of the communities in which the school and the child are embedded. (MM)

The author studied sixty white female student teachers in suburban, inner-city experimental, and inner-city traditional settings and measured rank order of perceived influence of key individuals, shifts in these rankings, and shifts in subjects' perceptions of pupils' abilities, discipline, learning, teaching methods, and evaluation of pupils.…

A yearlong field study of how communities, school districts, and personal characteristics influence principals' behavior as instructional leaders concluded that successful principals act with purpose, have a multi-faceted image of schools, use routine behaviors to progress toward goals, and engage in the same kinds of behavior. (CB)

Eighteen mentally retarded adults were taught pedestrian skills using either classroom or community training procedures. Community training procedures resulted in significant improvement from pretest to posttest; however no significant change was seen in the classroom group. (Author/MC)

This study sought to determine the degree to which school and community factors influence mathematics and science achievement of public school students in Georgia. Of particular concern was identifying variables to assist educators, parents, and other child advocates in providing academic programs that are responsive to the needs of learners. Data…

From Harlem to Monrovia, Liberia, their service projects contribute increasingly and significantly to the total Black community. (DM)