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Rural social work education and practice in North America underwent a revival in recent decades and remains a valid praxis and pedagogic model for the 21st Century. The paper posits through rigorous literature review and analysis there are numerous elements central to North American (U.S. and Canadian) and Commonwealth of Nations (U.K., Australia, etc.) rural social work that make this framework significantly germane to Filipinos. These include the necessity to function in an environment of marginal or stressed community, personnel resources and educational opportunities. Significantly, the generalist practice model comprises the core of North American rural social work; it also predominates in Philippine methodology. Both frameworks require robust client and social justice advocacy roles encouraging awareness of needs and aspirations of at risk populations. Indeed, social work researcher Thelma Lee-Mendoza reports that historically modern Philippine practice originated and is primarily organized from North American models. Rural social workers in the West, like their Philippine counterparts, are more typically generalists and innovative environmental operators. Daily they rely on profound survey and calculation of services and innovative ways to make them meaningful. The paper concludes by urging creative international and transnational research with a view towards optimizing service delivery.

These proceedings document the sixth year of the "Brick and Click Libraries Symposium," held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, on November 3, 2006. Thirty-four peer-reviewed papers and abstracts, written by academic librarians, and presented at the symposium are included in this volume. Many of the entries have references and charts. Several of the papers describe research projects. Topics covered include reference, instruction, collection development, cataloging, government documents, and circulation services as follows: (1) Introduction: IMPACT (Connie Ury and Frank Baudino); (2) Kinetic Instruction: Mobility and Flexibility with Tablet PCs (Todd Quinn); (3) To Boldly Go: Implementing a Copyright Policy for Electronic Reserves (Susan Clayton); (4) Implementing a MARC Record Service: The Practical Challenges and Theoretical Implications (Patrick L. Carr); (5) Issues and Trends in Collection Development: Where Do We Go from Here? (Vicki Wainscott and Carolyn Johnson) [abstract only]; (6) Big Wings, No Bull: Do-It-Yourself Podcasts for the Distributed Course (Sean Cordes); (7) Piloting the ILT: Lessons Learned and Future Turns (Connie Ury, Sarah G. Park, Frank Baudino, and Gary Ury); (8) Putting It All Together: Designing a Library Website Using Project Management Techniques (Katherine E. Pitcher) [abstract only]; (9) How to Be a Depository Library without Being a Depository Library: Adding Records for Electronic Government Documents to the Library Catalog (James T. Shaw); (10) Fast, Cheap and Out of (Our) Control: IM Service in the Library (Scott Collard and Kara Whatley); (11) Administrative Metadata for Electronic Resources Management (Dalene Hawthorne) [abstract only]; (12) Electronic Serials and Options for Access at Two Universities (Sally Gibson and Felicity Dykas) [abstract only]; (13) Government Information as a Knowledge Management Resource for Library Instruction to the Millennial Generation (Barbara Miller and Helen Peeler Clements); (14) The Times They Are a'Changing: Advancing the Academic Library through Collaborative Initiatives (Daryl Youngman) [abstract only]; (15) Beyond Scanning: Collaborating to Create Community Resources from Digital Collections (Bart Schmidt and Claudia Frazer) [abstract only]; (16) Enhancing Service Desk Management with ScheduleSource (Tim Zou); (17) Jupiter: A Tool for Cataloging Web Resources (Judith Emde, Jill Glaser, and Holly Mercer); (18) Take the Library with You on the Web: A Mozilla Firefox Toolbar (Scott Rice); (19) Saddling the Whirlwind: Exploring the Organizational Culture of a Hybrid Library (Susan Matveyeva and Nancy Deyoe); (20) Research from Afar: The Library Usage Patterns of Distance Students (Lea Briggs) [abstract only]; (21) Using a Personal Response System to Enhance Interaction and Assessment in Library Instruction (Richard Eissinger) [abstract only]; (22) Promotion for Pennies: Marketing and Promoting Your Academic Library on a Shoestring (Jennifer A. G. Jenness) [abstract only]; (23) Leave No Stone Unturned: Bring Your Holdings to Light with WorldCat Collection Analysis (Deb Ehrstein) [abstract only]; (24) May We Organize You? Document Management for the Idealistic Technical Services Librarian (Beatrice L. Caraway and Jane Costanza) [abstract only]; (25) Search Engine Toolbox: Rethinking and Improving Your Web Search Strategies (William H. Weare, Jr.) [abstract only]; (26) Establishing Virtual Reference through Partnership: The GWLA Model (Phillip J. Jones and Kristine K. Stacy-Bates); (27) Making Instruction Audience-Appropriate: Information Literacy for Non-Traditional Students (Kara Whatley); (28) From Far and Near: Analysis of On-Campus and Distance Learning Students' Responses to a Library Assessment (J. Ann Jerabek, Lynn M. McMain, Joseph Hardenbrook, and S. Thomas Kordinak); (29) Training Made Fun! Enhancing Student Training through Online Tutorials and Interactive Games (Stephanie S. Atkins); (30) Virtually Yours--How to Construct an Electronic Resource Room for an HLC Visit (Candice Baldwin and Connie Migliazzo) [abstract only]; (31) Library Instruction Evaluation: Measuring Success in an Increasingly Complex Electronic Environment (Curt G. Friehs, III and Cindy Craig); (32) Cancelled Requests: A Study of Interlibrary Loan Requests at the University of Arkansas (Tess Gibson) [abstract only]; (33) Interactive Citation Style Instruction Using the WRrite-Cite[TM] Tutorial (Carol Leibiger and Alan Aldrich) [abstract only]; and (34) Proxies, URL Redirectors, and VPNs--Oh My! (Nancy B. Thomas) [abstract only]. An author/title index is also included. [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines. Individual papers contain references. For the 2005 proceedings, see ED490060.]

A conference on economic development, education, and rural community engagement brought representatives from higher education, government agencies, and education research together with experts in community revitalization and activism to discuss how efforts might be coordinated across disciplines to accomplish lasting reforms in poor, rural communities. Characteristics of revitalized communities were identified as visionary leadership, quality jobs, strategic economic and social development, and external linkages. Factors critical to community revitalization, but often missing, include leadership, policies that recognize rural differences, partnerships and power sharing, and thoughtful development of technology. In discussions of institutional roles in revitalizing poor, rural communities, it was noted that schools could offer entrepreneurial curricula, provide a curriculum of place, and become community centers that offer lifelong learning opportunities and serve as focal points for revitalization. The roles of churches, extension services, community organizations, and researchers were also discussed. Assets in rural communities include physical infrastructures, people and organizations, resourcefulness, and technology. National resources for rural communities include the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Labor; the American Association of School Administrators; and the National Science Foundation. Participants offered reflections and recommendations for immediate action and research in four areas: interactions between schools and communities, building community capacity, information dissemination, and public research and public policy. Appendices present the agenda and participant list. (TD)

In 1998, one decade after the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act was implemented and research results on the impacts of funding were becoming available, an evaluation of the effectiveness of fifteen programs, which included services such as emergency shelter, primary health care, and education, was needed This report presents 13 papers from a conference on homelessness research: (1) "Demographics and Geography: Estimating Needs" (Martha R. Burt); (2) "Special Populations of Homeless Americans" (Robert Rosensheck, Ellen Bassuk, and Amy Salomon); (3) "Homeless Youth: Research, Intervention, and Policy" (Marjorie J. Robertson and Paul A. Toro); (4) "Making Homeless Programs Accountable to Consumers, Funders, and the Public" (Dennis Culhane, David Eldridge, Robert Rosenheck, and Carol Wilkins); (5) "Giving Voice to Homeless People in Policy, Practice and Research" (Nicole Glasser); (6) "To Dance with Grace: Outreach and Engagement to Persons on the Street" (Sally Erickson and Jaimie Page); (7) "A Review of Case Management for People Who are Homeless: Implications for Practice, Policy, and Research" (Gary Morse); (8) "Balancing Act: Clinical Practices that Respond to the Needs of Homeless People" (Marsha McMurray-Avila, Lillian Gelberg, and William R. Breakey); (9) "Emergency Shelter and Services: Opening a Front Door to the Continuum of Care" (Judith D. Feins and Linda B. Fosburg); (10) "Transitional Housing and Services: A Synthesis" (Sue Barrow and Rita Zimmer); (11) "Reconnecting Homeless Individuals and Families to the Community" (Debra J. Rog and C. Scott Holupka); (12) "What Do We Know about the Systems Integration and Homelessness?" (Deborah L. Dennis, Joseph J. Cocozza, and Henry J. Steadman); and (13) "Rethinking the Prevention of Homelessness" (Marybeth Shinn and Jim Baumohl). Three appendixes contain an agenda, biographies, and participant list. (Each paper contains references.) (SM)

This monograph presents a synthesis of the solutions and strategies generated during a June 1995 national forum of state, territorial, and tribal child care administrators on the inclusion of children with disabilities in community-based child care settings. The monograph is organized into sections focused on the five major issue areas discussed at the forum. These are: (1) staffing; (2) facilities and environments; (3) administration of inclusive practices; (4) financing; and (5) community resources. Each section discusses the key issue areas, offers recommendations, and suggests specific strategies. Program examples are also included. Extensive appendices provide descriptions of programs used as examples in the report, a summary of relevant federal legislation, descriptions of major projects conducted by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, sources of technical assistance from the Child Care Bureau, a position statement on inclusion from the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children, several article reprints, a listing of national organizations with resources for inclusive child care, and the forum agenda and participant list. (Contains 42 references.) (DB)

The U.S. educational system and U.S. business share common problems of shrinking budgets, rapidly shifting demographics, and changes in their structure and missions. Meeting on common ground, pooling shrinking resources, and creating smooth transitions from school to work are critical issues. Creating, nurturing, and sustaining effective partnerships and coalitions is a winning solution for each side. Steps to create an effective coalition can be laid out in four phases: search for partners, courtship, early stages of the "marriage," and golden and mature years of the relationship. Productive partnerships between educators and business result in better educated students and a more productive work force. Corporations, the public sector, and educational systems have been given a common mandate for accountability and a focus upon the bottom line. The bottom line must include a world-class work force, better trained public servants, and well-prepared students. Successful partnerships are like successful marriages: if proper care and nurturing are invested in these relationships, the payoff is long and rewarding and each partner grows and flourishes. (Role models of successful partnerships with names and addresses are included. A reference list includes 14 books and pamphlets, 6 standard reference books, 9 professional associations, and 9 periodicals.) (KC)

This paper asserts that interactive exhibits are more than just hands-on activities but utilize a range of techniques. The variety of techniques is explained with examples of various types of exhibits to involve the visitor in learning more about the exhibit. The paper presents several examples that strike a balance between educating in history museums and preserving collections. Topics addressed include different learning styles, multicultural education, John Dewey's ideas of building on previous learning, social history, hands-on exhibits and the question of preservation of artifacts, multisensory exhibits and living history exhibits, participatory exhibits, interactive computers, and response books. (Contains 21 references.) (EH)

This report discusses the community-based resources that may be available to regular and special education teachers serving visually impaired students in rural areas. It notes the national shortage of teachers qualified to teach children with visual impairments and suggests that rural teachers will have to devote some effort to seeking out appropriate educational resources. Communicating with the community can uncover resources useful in transitional training that involves daily living skills, job training, or job placement. Procedures for the productive use of volunteers and volunteer organizations are considered, and local cooperatives are recommended as potential sources for employment experience. The report concludes that ready-made resources for visually impaired students are unlikely to exist in rural areas and that regular and special education teachers will need to create them. A table identifies local/community and regional/county organizations and personnel that currently exist in some settings or that might be created to provide services in the areas of employment, family support and advocacy, recreation, social and interpersonal development, and medical or financial needs. A second table lists addresses and phone numbers for national organizations that focus on the education of visually impaired and blind students. (RAH)

According to the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, young adolescents are felt to be far more at risk for self-destructive behaviors than ever before, and middle grades schools are failing to meet students' needs. As part of a plan for restructuring middle grades education, Illinois has created a middle school endorsement added to elementary or secondary teacher certification and has created a model for integrating health, education, and social services into middle level education. One of the university courses designed to meet requirements for the middle school endorsement involves inservice and preservice teachers in learning about basic issues in eight developmentally appropriate areas and embedding those issues within each subject of the regular curriculum. The eight areas include self-esteem, peer relationships, gangs and violence, loss (including death and dying), nutrition, sexual activity, alcohol/drugs/tobacco, and communicable diseases. For each topic, a representative from a community or social service agency presents critical information, and teams of class members devise interdisciplinary units. Appendices to this paper list groups involved in the restructuring process, health and social indicators for early adolescents, health data about students in grades 5 through 8, and a table of contents from a guide to the middle school endorsement course described. Contains five references. (JDD)

Coordinated social services may be one of the most promising aspects of the current era of systemic educational reform. However, moving from a policy that calls for coordinated service integration into the actual practice of providing services requires the resolution of a host of complex, interacting issues. This paper provides an overview of what is known about service-integration projects and discusses how this knowledge can be used. A conclusion is that service integration is a highly complex, labor intensive, and dynamic process that also tends to be site specific. Several general models exist. "Collaboration" represents the high end of involvement and intensity for groups developing a service-integration alliance, with "coordination" at the midpoint, and "cooperation" representing the lowest level of involvement. Project scope is usually either statewide or local. During the implementation and dissemination stages of a service-integration project, participating agencies, schools, and communities should be aware of immediate issues such as staff development and role definition, and the larger contextual issues of turf, marketing, and financing. Collaborative efforts are most vulnerable to disintegration during the implementation stage. Sustained efforts by all stakeholders are needed for success. Contains 39 references. (LMI)

Materials are presented from a 1994 meeting on expanding community connections of the six-state Magnolia Circle Outreach Project, which fosters networking between families and professionals involved in services for children (birth to 5 years) with, or at risk for, developmental delays. The meeting was designed to highlight successful collaborative community resources, services, and service delivery mechanisms as well as to strengthen regional networks by linking resources and resource persons. Meeting attendees were from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and represented parent networking programs, community early intervention and preschool programs, public schools, Head Start, state Departments of Education, and a state transition project. Meeting materials include: a list of participants and the meeting agenda, a list of issues and problem-solving strategies proposed by participants, a list of networking ideas, a summary of an address by Agnes Johnson concerning the Technical Assistance for Parent Programs and the Parent Training and Information Centers, a list of potential funding sources and resources for rural interdisciplinary assessment teams and types of staff/professionals who may participate, results of meeting evaluation, and a bibliography of resource materials. (SW)

Although transition services and plans for youth with disabilities are mandated by age 16 by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a need clearly exists to provide transition services before age 16. The literature documents the need for transition programs that develop problem-solving skills, career awareness, an interest in future planning, knowledge of how to access community resources, and family involvement. A transition planning program at a middle school in a rural community incorporates these elements. An initial survey of 101 employers, special education teachers, transition specialists, educational administrators, and adult service providers from rural Louisiana indicated a need for extensive parental involvement in transition planning. During the first year of the program, the teacher sent letters to parents to encourage participation. The teacher implemented a Transition Planning Unit designed to develop problem-solving skills, career awareness, an interest in future planning, and knowledge of community resources. Parent involvement was actively encouraged throughout the program. Activities during the first and second year included a speakers bureau on various careers, student projects on a particular career, a role-play of job interviews, a rating by students and parents of each student's work-related characteristics, community-based field trips, and a career awareness week. Student and parent outcomes are listed. (KS)

This paper addresses problems in providing educational services to gifted students in rural areas and discusses feasible solutions. Rural schools face numerous obstacles such as small numbers of identified gifted students; limited resources and funding; locations distant from universities, libraries, and cultural activities; difficulty in obtaining trained personnel; and differences in cultural values. Rural schools need to explore programming options such as developing regional centers for gifted programs, providing opportunities for students to participate in independent study, matching gifted students with mentors, developing residential programs, and holding regional or national academic competitions. Capitalizing on the strengths of the rural community entails creating a database of community resources, implementing oral history projects, and encouraging student involvement in community problem-solving projects. The use of available technology such as videotapes, telecommunications, videodiscs, interactive television, and distance learning programs can alleviate the isolation of rural schools. Equally important is the need for teachers of gifted students to develop a professional network to provide support to their programs, and to have opportunities to receive ongoing training through regional workshops, summer institutes, distance learning, and correspondence courses. School districts and individual teachers of the gifted need encouragement and professional networking to locate solutions that are best for their local communities. (LP)

This paper outlines a process for rebuilding the educational partnership among schools, communities, and homes. The process is based on community education, which is both a philosophy of education and a model for the systematic development of community and educational partnerships. The process has four major components: (1) provision of diverse educational services; (2) development of interagency cooperation and public-private partnerships; (3) involvement of citizens in participatory problem solving and decision making; and (4) encouragement of community-improvement efforts. This paper describes seven strategies, based on community-education partnerships, for rebuilding the educational partnership and nurturing cooperative ventures among families, schools, and communities. The model views community as a process, not a program. It is recommended that educational leaders and policy makers: recognize the interconnections among the home, school, and community; define the role of the school in relation to the community; and use democratic principles and practices to connect educational systems to communities. One figure is included. (LMI)

This paper describes the work of Youth Service California, a state-wide collaboration of public and private organizations that since 1990 has brought the voice of the local youth service field to state level policy and program development. Youth Service California's purpose is the further development of a diverse state movement to increase and integrate youth involvement in service from kindergarten through 12th grade, colleges and universities, conservation and service corps, and throughout the community. The term "youth service" is broadly defined to include both curriculum-based service efforts commonly referred to as "service learning" and co-curricular community service. Congress passed The National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 in order to develop the potential and power of service for all young people. Both laws put the burden on individual states to develop high quality plans for making service part of the fabric of life. Effective state plans require the involvement of local practictioners and policymakers. Efforts of Youth Service California are suggested as a model for other local initiatives. The paper concludes with strategies for implementation. (EH)

A modified Delphi technique was used to identify topics in international agricultural education considered by eight experts on agricultural education to be areas needing research. All eight (100%) of the experts completed the first-round mail questionnaire, and seven (87.5%) completed the second and third rounds. Survey category areas were as follows: administration/supervision; curriculum development; communications/delivery methods; pedagogy/instructional methods; evaluation/accountability; youth/adult organizations; personnel staff development/inservice/preservice; community resource development; supervised occupational experience programs; research/development activities; facilities/equipment; women in agriculture development; and funding. A summary of topics receiving unanimous acceptance is as follows: role of technical assistance; nonformal programming factors; comparative studies; public/private linkages; effective institutional structures; developing nations' resource constraints; linkages with developing nations' agricultural universities; international agriculture knowledge of secondary students; foreign language requirements; indigenous practices and new subject matter; primary agricultural education in developing nations; internationalizing curricula; experiential international ag ed; human resource development; international agricultural knowledge in degree programs and K-12; developing nations' communication linkages; mass media; using indigenous knowledge; agriculture texts for developing nations; technology transfer; follow-up of innovative programs; analysis of ag ed in developing nations; evaluating adoption of ag innovations; case studies of successful programs; youth leadership skill needs; young and adult farmer skill needs; foreign graduate student research; supplemental experiences for foreign students; alternatives to long-term degree training; cross-cultural teaching; motivators of extension workers; participation of all segments in agricultural development; role of ag ed in institution building; ties between domestic and international ag students in U.S. universities; and involvement of women in development. (Contains 17 references.) (MN)

This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the role of the principal in generating community services to address students' health and social needs. The school under study was an urban elementary school in Austin, Texas, which had implemented an innovative program to address student health problems. Data were derived through document analysis, observation, and interviews with the principal and other personnel. Findings suggest that successful collaboration between the school and community social services depends on the principal's role in making contacts, providing support, and being visible in the larger community. School leaders must be familiar with five factors that affect collaborative efforts--the community's sociopolitical climate, the communication and problem-solving process, people, policies, and resources. The role of the principal in attracting community services to the schools is becoming a fundamental one. Finally, participation in such community-school programs requires comprehensive, interdisciplinary evaluation. (LMI)

Proceedings are presented of a conference which addressed services to infants and young children with developmental delays and their families in rural areas. Contents include: results of a survey of 42 respondents regarding rural service delivery; excerpts from Magnolia Circle Outreach Project newsletters; views on problems identified by rural service providers; a list of resource people in the Southeast; the conference agenda; information on the nominal group technique utilized at the conference; information on cases presented at the conference and case problem-solving steps; summaries of parents' goals for one case and assessments by the preschool teacher, social worker, psychologist, early interventionist, nurse, and speech and language therapist; a list of questions to pose in choosing a strategy and formulating alternative intervention strategies; a list of issues concerning family support, transportation, and funding; a list of networking strategies; results of the conference evaluation, including activities planned by participants as a result of the conference; information on resource materials on rural service delivery; and information on programs in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. (SW)

Museums play an important role in the transmission of culture and traditions and provide a collective memory of a community. A number of museum related institutions, known as the Science Centra, have arisen to offer self-directed learning activities in problem solving and understanding the processes related to everyday life. In a modern society, it also necessary to learn to analyze critically information that the media provide. Museums and the Science Centra can be useful in this context as well and can offer students the opportunity to employ the media as learning tools. In recent years the "ecomuseum" also has arisen. An ecomuseum works to document the local heritage, to stimulate popular interest in that heritage, and to collect documentation of history. The ecomuseum model also provides a means of preserving indigenous languages and promoting their use and instruction. Cooperation among the various kinds of museums could help revitalize the cultural life of a community. At the same time, the cultural organizations can serve as catalysts of cooperation between schools and the broader community. This in turn can foster the view that cultural development is impossible without striking a balance between the natural environment and technical development and exploitation. (SG)

These conference proceedings contain abstracts of papers that were submitted for presentation and descriptions of all presentations and workshops from a conference on volunteerism. Three papers are included in full. Organized in five sections, the following are included: "Building Better Young People: Powerful and Practical Techniques to Teach Youth" (Brandywein); "Engaging Youth as Volunteers" (Beugen); "Peer Counseling Programs" (Clark); "Strengthening Adult-Youth Interactions"--complete paper (Groff); "Legal Issues in Youth Volunteerism" (Colley); "Cooperation and Competition: A Volunteer's Responsibility" (Maddy); "What's in It for YOUth?" (panel discussion); "Youth Leadership Skills" (Shelly); "The Role of the Community Relations Professional in Shaping the Corporate Social Vision" (Goldberg); "How to Develop an Employee Volunteer Program (Galligan); "Getting Media Coverage for Your Community" (panel discussion); "Preparing Employees for Community Leadership" (Jenkins); "Legal Ramifications of Employee Volunteer Program" (McCurley); "Gaining Management Support for Your Program" (Galligan); "Environmental Issues and Employee Involvement" (DeWein); "Involving Retirees and Labor Unions in Employee Volunteerism" (Hester, Breitenstein); "Special Events Spell Success" (Phillips); "How to Effectively Raise Money in the 90s" (Nichols); "Serving the Diverse Community" (Richards); "Technology for the 90s--How to Choose It" (Risch); "Organizational Values and Culture" (Shullman); "High Tech, Grass Roots Technology for the 90s--How to Use It"--complete paper (Souder);"Focus on the Future: Where Do We Want Volunteerism to Go" (Ellis); "Improving Your Listening Skills" (Savage); "Assessing Our Impact" (Ellis); "Managing the New Volunteer" (Cooper); "Influence Strategies" (Verble); "Legal Issues in Volunteerism" (Colley); "Volunteers: Guardians of Social Change"--complete paper (Lonergan); "Designing a Service Learning Program" (Beugen); "Volunteering Is for Everyone" (Bernstein); "The Interviewer as In-Depth Listener" (Savage); "Communicating Confidence" (Verble); "Staying on Purpose" (Braham); "Time Mastery" (White); "Creativity and Innovation: Zip!" (Schubert); "Effective Communication Skills" (Donadio); "The Legal Environment of Volunteer Referral Agencies" (McCurley); and "Managing Conflict with and among Young People" (Trichel). (KC)

This document reports on a conference about the use of existing resources to teach nature education to urban children. The conference was organized around the question of how to encourage more positive use of parklands for outdoor nature education. The conference was held in New York City's Central Park and over 80 leaders representing city schools and nature resources participated. The report includes the keynote addresses by New York City's Commissioner of Environmental Protection, Albert Appleton, who chose "cities as part of our natural environment" as his theme, and renowned naturalist, Roger Tory Peterson, who in discussing the role of nature study in environmental education, described how his lifetime devotion to the study and interpretation of nature originated in a fascination with birds fostered by his seventh grade teacher in Jamestown, New York. The document also presents a paper by educator Maritza MacDonald who spoke about different perspectives on urban nature education and nature education resources. Small group discussions between conference participants resulted in the following recommendations: (1) to improve teacher training with respect to nature education; (2) to develop school-community partnerships; (3) to encourage families to use parks; and (4) to acknowledge the importance of camping, outdoor experiences, and individualized curriculum in nature education. A summary of the conference, a list of the names and addresses of participants, and a brief list of urban nature education resources are included. (LP)

This report provides highlights from a conference that focused on strategies for assisting minority youth with disabilities to face labor market challenges. An introduction lists conference objectives. Section I contains a profile of the high school students with disabilities who participated in the workshops. The profile includes demographic data, course preparations, and career interests. Data are analyzed for two student groups: students with disabilities who are pursuing a mathematics-science background and students who are pursuing a general studies background. Section II contains a summary of the highlights of the workshops. The following presentations are highlighted: "Effective Preparation and Recruitment of Minority Individuals with Disabilities: How Private Industry Can Meet the Special Employment Challenges of the 21st Century" (Paredes); "Special Issues for New Immigrants: A Closer Look at Language, Culture and Values" (Pi); "Building Coalitions for Social Change: How Government, Service Providers, Advocates and Private Industry Can Cooperate for Success" (Baird); "Critical Social and Family Issues: Creative Solutions for Family Needs, Gang Problems, and Substance Abuse" (Suro); "Changing Stereotypes and Myths about Disability and Ethnicity: Breaking Down Attitudinal Barriers to Employment" (Waxman); "Preparing Professionals to Work in Minority Communities" (Brodwin); "Attitudes and Image: How the Media Affects the Life and Employment of People with Disabilities" (Ludwig); "Community Resources to Support Employment Goals: The Importance of Integrated Community Support Services for People with Disabilities" (Wilson); "Update on Reasonable Accommodation: Helpful Assistance for Employers" (Steiner); and "Creative Partnerships for Effective Employment: Model National Employment and Training Programs" (Walker, Grant). Section III provides a summary of the overall conference evaluations. Section IV lists recommendations that are divided into these major categories: National Aeronautics and Space Administration involvement, community services and networking, dissemination and media involvement, and employment strategies. Section V contains photographic highlights of the conference. An appendix provides the Los Angeles Multicultural Disability Task Force Directory. (YLB)

The Bagby, Oklahoma, Human Resources Center was conceived in the mid-1970s as a model of community education and unified services. It was built with federal grant money to serve as a middle school, library, human services office, and meeting space for Bagby, a growing town of about 5,000. As envisioned, it was to serve all parts of the population, with a gymnasium for recreation, a library for both adults and children, adult education and job training, senior citizens meals and recreation, and many of the human services needed by disadvantaged people. Ten years later, however, interviews with townspeople and observation of the uses of the building showed that the dream has not been fulfilled. Although a middle school, a library, and a health service operate in the building, it has not become the community center that was proposed. Each of the units operates separately. There is little integration of personnel or services, and each of the major entities, the school and library, thinks of the building as "theirs." No director of the facility was hired to coordinate activities; the middle school refuses to let community groups use "their" gym, and the library makes strict rules about the use of "their" meeting room. In addition, the building was built away from the center of town, where the majority of the people needing human services live, and little input was gathered from the community about its needs prior to construction. The Bagby disappointment points out the paradox of the philosophy of adult education: If it is meant to empower adults, as has been maintained, then it cannot be "owned" by the schools or other authorities. (21 references) (KC)

The experiences of the 3-year Minnesota Severely Handicapped Delivery System Project have led to a model which utilizes resources of regional systems as key elements of a differentiated system for educational service delivery to the handicapped in rural areas and involves state education agencies, statewide regional centers, local education units, and the strengths and human capital of local communities. Problems rural areas have in delivering services to the handicapped are difficulty in attracting specialist teachers, travel costs to send children to specialized programs elsewhere, underidentification or inaccurate diagnosis of handicapped children, and lack of a clearly defined regional structure of service delivery for handicapped persons. The proposed model utilizes local strengths to the maximum extent and relies on regional resources for special conditions requiring expertise beyond that available locally. The core of the model involves strengthening the role of regional units which provide professional guidance/training, technical assistance, and supervision to local staff, while simultaneously strengthening local skills and encouraging involvement of teachers, parents, and community members. The model also includes strategies to serve needs of underserved groups of handicapped persons, uses technology for all phases of service delivery to the severely handicapped, and incorporates a management information system and a component to evaluate impact and cost-effectiveness. (MH)

Project ADVANCE (Action for the Development of Vocational Alternatives and New Concepts in Education) has served 27 deaf blind students (16 to 22 years old) through on the job training at local community businesses. Students have been involved in such positions as greenhouse workers, food service workers, maintenance personnel, and bakery production assistants. Analysis of student change through observations of 18 participants revealed an increase in independent performance of the task and decreases in the amount of instructional interaction required, the amount of time seeking help, and inattentiveness to task during work time. Ss showed a marked increase in student productivity and less dependence on supervision. Both coworkers and employers indicated positive responses, with many learning a variety of ways to communicate with the students. Results demonstrated that there are more viable work alternatives for deaf blind individuals than had previously been thought. (CL)

A seven step approach designed to help special and vocational education teachers, parents, and others to develop appropriate vocational/job training programs for learning disabled adolescents and young adults is described. Assessment and evaluation include educational, psychological, and vocational measurement. Provision of support services is explained to include designation of an advocate to coordinate school-community resources and link the student with other services and professionals. Development of interagency linkages with vocational rehabilitation as well as with private industry is considered. Assistance to vocational and other educators focuses on identification and instructional modification (including adapting for learning styles). Skill development information covers functional survival skills, learning how to learn, and error correction. Twelve job placement strategies are suggested, and the importance of planning on lifetime education is noted. (CL)

In spite of limited physical plant facilities, faculty expertise, and operational funds, rural curricula and instruction can implement career education (CE) into the Kindergarten through Grade 12 instructional program by incorporating the natural, social, and human resources. A necessary part of this career education program would be concerned proximity congruency vis-a-vis community resources; that is, a situation in which students are perceptually or physically exposed to the world of work. Student awareness, exposure, and skills training can be enhanced when instructional programs are structured to provide a balance between pre-employment and psychomotor development, and skills application in real world of work situations. Instructional materials, career education resource centers, and a CE professional staff are also important components of a fully operational CE program. The career education coordinator position can be a means of mobilizing the support of the world of work community behind efforts to create and provide career education awareness, exploration, and skills training to students in rural systems. (TA)

Steps involved in developing a high quality child development program are outlined and discussed briefly. They are: (1) determining what kind of program to provide (information and referral, family-centered, community-centered or a combination); (2) establishing priorities (a priority checklist is included); (3) identifying existing resources in the community such as counseling, health, nutrition and social welfare services; (4) trying it out: planning for staff development, parent involvement and documentation as a means of feedback and evaluation; and (5) building a program-reviewing process and developing a mechanism for introducing new ideas and expanding existing services to meet the needs of the people participating in the program. (MS)

Designed as a reference book, this publication reflects the efforts of almost 100 American Indian parents, educators, diagnosticians, social workers, etc., and representatives from each of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Area Offices in attendance at the 1976 conference on the comprehensive implementation process for special education services in the BIA with Public Law 94-142 compliances. The major portion of this document presents the work generated by the following workshop topics: (1) Administration and Fiscal (funding patterns, needs assessment, staff, personnel development, facilities, equipment, transportation, and community resources); (2) Assessment and Placement (identification, screening, referral, and staffing procedures); (3) Program and Evaluation (individual education plan, curriculum development, and evaluation); (4) Protection (confidentiality and due process). Each workshop topic is presented in terms of known resources and follow-up activities (technical assistance needs, coordination needs, and timeliness). This publication also presents: conference presenters and their topics, an eight-item list of supplementary resource materials, the conference evaluation, BIA and Southwest Regional Resource Center personnel and conference assignments, and a conference directory. (JC)

The Cogito Conference Report is a record of speeches and practical workshops by 35 quest speakers on 18 current concerns in secondary school education. General session topics were: priorities in education; and hard schools vs. soft schools or the false liberal consciousness. The workshops discussed topics such as: student responsibility and individualization; the community as an educational resource; educational administration; HS1 studies; managing with people; alienation; community use of educational facilities; values education; the feeling side of teaching; computer generated scheduling; politics and education; Canadian studies; and French schools in Ontario. The indepth sessions covered staff development and curriculum development, while the final forum sessions outlined alternate forms of education. (JMF)

An increasing number of high school programs are turning toward activities outside the classroom as a source of student learning experiences. One form of organization for such learning is Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE), which provides a link between the academic classroom and vocational education through the use of a "resource pool" of community participants. This study focuses on the resource pools of three schools that decided to implement high fidelity EBCE programs. The main objectives of the study were to increase knowledge about the nature of resource pools and analyze their effectiveness as learning environments. It also demonstrated techniques for locating worthwhile data about such resource pools and helped identify areas where more information is needed. Among results of the study were the findings that resource persons and resource organizations will maintain interest in the program over time, and that underutilization of resources frequently exists. (Author/JG)

The Far West Laboratory Model (Far West School) in downtown Oakland, California, an employer-based career education program of experiential learning, has focused on the developmental issues of how high school academic requirements and career exploration in the community can be integrated into a common set of learning activities, and the virtues and liabilities of a highly individualized curriculum. Thirty volunteer students from Oakland high schools participated full time in the 1972-73 program that drew mainly on the use of resource persons, large employer organization resources, and community and supplementary resources as instructional activities. Each student's learning program primarily was planned, focused, and documented by means of projects. The developmental program produced many learning options in which to acquire career information, personal and social skills. Future study and work is needed in the transition area of students leaving a highly structured, controlled environment and adjusting to one requiring extensive personal initiative and responsibility. (EA)

The basic assumption of this paper is that unused and underused public school buildings are appropriate facilities to become opportunity centers for neighborhood citizens of all ages. A detailed case study of a community education program in Grand Rapids, Michigan, illustrates this assumption, and a brief historical summary of changing population statistics documents the enrollment decline. The description of community education in Grand Rapids details uses of empty classrooms, alternative offerings in adult education, leisure activities, a factory-based industrial program, and the use of related community facilities for educational purposes. A budget summary of the Grand Rapids program is included in Appendix A. (Author)

This paper describes the development of a general model for an interdisciplinary ethnic studies curriculum and specific Czech materials by the Czech Ethnic Heritage Studies project at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The curriculum was developed for use in grades 7-14 and could be adapted for the elementary grades. It consists of 150 hours of instruction in language and culture with individualized and multimedia materials. Representatives from the Czech community, as well as other ethnic groups, were involved in the project as advisers. Project goals are discussed here in detail. An activities chart for project participants, a curriculum outline, and a materials list are included. (Author/PMP)

Modernization is a process of change in the way of life of a person in which he uses available resources and learned techniques to achieve material happiness. Data collected in 1967 and 1972 in the rural communities of India reveal certain characteristics that distinguish the modern person: a keen awareness of his own modernity, highly motivated to try innovations professionally and in his own domestic life, quick to use available information media. Thus the modern man acts as a change agent, stimulating growth and the utilization of the tools of modernization. The government of developing nations, to promote social change, should locate modern persons in rural communities and develop an effective means of communication at the grass roots. (SK)

The role of the library to collect, catalog, and dispense information has a new application in several communities around the country: providing the local citizens with information on governmental and social services vital to life in the community. At least a dozen new community information centers have been established in urban areas with various funding sources and administrative organizations. The future of the public library as one of perhaps several dispensaries of community information is promising, as there is a need for such services and many libraries are ready to meet this need. With sufficient attention given to staff training, staff for these programs may be recruited from the neighborhood. Not every library is suited to this utilization, nor should be. Information on community resources is often not in print, and must be sought out, compiled, and continuously updated. Computers are well suited to this sort of function, and, once put into a computer, these services can be sold. It is recommended that librarians develop methods of cost accounting on the services to aid in future program development. (KC)

A number of community resources available for utilization by the foreign language teacher in the Denver area are listed here, and specific suggestions are made for teachers interested in exploring the resources of their own communities. It is recommended that schools and universities, bilingual-bicultural programs and/or agencies, and cultural centers be contacted as possible sources of information and activity for the foreign language student. Teachers should be aware of the career opportunities available to language students. Often it is possible for students to work with non-English-speaking children and older people in some kind of voluntary educational program. Such work provides extra-curricular language experience, as well as a much-needed community service. Community publications written in the appropriate foreign language are also a valuable tool that can be used both inside and outside the classroom. Organizations and commercial firms mainly concerned with entertainment should also be contacted by the language teacher. Many television and radio stations, for example, schedule foreign language programs; and theaters in many cities offer foreign language productions. (PMP)

School board members can assist the change process in curriculum development by helping annually to set instructional goals through a variety of methods that could include management by objectives and community involvement. Board members can also help obtain community resources for career education, arts, and cultural programs. Another proper domain for board members is the change process where several strategies such as research development, community involvement, systems approach, alternative schools, consortiums, and strong leader approaches can be used. Finally, school board members can help establish a balanced curriculum through encouraging development of clusters that present basic skills; health, physical education, and leisure; career education; cultural studies; and societal studies. (Author/DW)

A 1973-75 federally sponsored study, undertaken by the State of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut, was conducted to determine the employment opportunities for vocational agriculture graduates as well as available community resources for vocational agriculture programs in the State. Objectives of phase 1 of the project were to: (1) compile a literature review related to agricultural employment opportunities and community resources, (2) compile a State master list of farmers and nonfarm agricultural firms, (3) randomly sample a representative number of farmers and agribusiness persons to be interviewed, (4) develop a survey instrument to collect the needed data, (5) develop the interviewing and survey research skills of vocational agriculture teachers, and (6) initiate data collection in high sample concentration areas. A major focus of the survey was on identifying areas that would afford the greatest likelihood of providing employment opportunities for vocational agriculture graduates. Interview preparation involved the development of an interviewing manual, two letters of introduction for obtaining interviews, a vocational agriculture brochure for interviewees, and teacher-training sessions. Although objective data will not be available until phase 2 of the project, some sample interview responses have been included. (Author/EA)

The Institute's many purposes include: (1) sensitizing educators to the need for career development education; (2) assisting teachers to develop instructional units into which career education activities will be infused; (3) collecting community resources for the teachers' utilization; (4) assisting counselors to back up teachers during implementation; and (5) developing in the teacher the competencies and desire to train others in his district. The program is further described in remarks prepared to accompany a slide presentation: The first year's program took three weeks, during which participants gathered for intensive training. During the first week, participants produced films depicting workers, workers' feelings, and work environments. One month later, an intensive one-week seminar taught the elements of the Thematic Resources and Activities for Career Education (TRACE); each participant developed an instructional unit in his subject area, infused with career education activities. For two months, the group implemented, evaluated, and refined their units in their classrooms. The third week's training was in human relations and change-agentry, using the Human Development Program small group process model, to equip the teachers to effect change in the attitudes and practices of their colleagues. Funded for its second year, the Institute counts this "multiplier effect" a high success. (Author/AJ)

In 1969 the Newark, New Jersey, Board of Education began the School Within A School Program for gifted and talented inner-city high school students. The program, offering an eleven-month school year plus five major subjects, uses the resources of business and industry to prepare students for a college education. An advisory board consisting of educators from high schools and colleges as well as business personnel, serves as a resource and advisory board. Corporate executives meet with teachers and students to discuss the problems facing inner-city residents; and the students visit the executives, gaining insight into the corporate world. Some additional goals of the program are raising funds for operational costs of the program and college scholarships, and supporting specialized college programs for high school students. (IM)

Some of the tasks undertaken by the Pittsburgh Public Schools over the past 10 years in the continuing effort to make desegregation work include the construction of new buildings and the renovation of old, restructuring of school attendance patterns, development of innovative programs, utilization of community resources and support, and the willingness to devote a lot time and effort to a frequently unpopular cause. This paper addresses itself to the efforts involving the first four activities listed above. The basic goals guiding the construction of new buildings are the improvement of racial balance, movement toward a system wide 5-3-4 grade organization, relief of overcrowding, and replacement of inefficient and obsolete building. The staff's latest proposal to restructure the attendance patterns of the school district in an effort to achieve the school district's goals for quality education is the system wide school feeder plan involving 12 middle schools. One of the most beneficial programs, for both educational and sociological purposes is the Exploratory Occupational, Vocational and Technical Education Program which introduces students to several areas of study. A program that exemplifies cooperation and support from community organizations is a mental health and intergroup relations project. (Author/AM)

The major responsibility of this workshop on nonformal education is to establish some prototypes of community training activities which will coordinate with the agricultural and health components of Ethiopia's Fourth Five Year Plan for rural development and which can later be reproduced in the countryside. Linking education to overall development objectives requires new thinking to incorporate: (1) a curriculum that grows from the community; (2) "classrooms" at any point where learning takes place' (3) schools that are integrated into the community; (4) highly flexible educators who can respond to the immediate needs of the community; (5) respect for and inclusion of the "noneducated"; (6) heavy emphasis on skill implementation and follow-up procedures. This workshop will be working with the concept of the "community practicum" which embodies the following: (1) a practical and community orientation emphasizing application via total community availability; (2) participation by both trainees and trainers; (3) response to expressed community needs; (4) utilization of existing skills and resources in an effort to promote self-employment and increased levels of income; (5) practical skills related to local productivity. Questions to be considered at this workshop should focus on how the community practicum concept can be implemented and how to best guard against bureaucratic suffocation. (JC)

In the fall of 1974, I was invited to serve as a consultant to the Indonesian effort to develop a National Strategy for Non-Formal Education. The brunt of my effort concerned action research for developing and testing an empirical "Community Learning System" designed to link local learning needs with the management-resource-learning system. Field investigations quickly determined that resources were being brought to bear in a diffuse, often redundant, fashion and at differential levels of efficiency and effectiveness. An emergent research design incorporated villagers in the municipality of Ujung Pandang articulating their own learning needs and identifying the resources at their disposal. Contact with local governmental officials determined that village organization could not be carried out without their participation, hence they were included in the resource identification stage of the field effort. The meeting for identifying village resources was a stunning success with the participants themselves being amazed by the breadth of their own resources. Although we were gratified by the group's response to our effort, there was the lingering question of how much of the group's participation was autonomously generated and how much it merely reflected their sensitivity to what we were attempting to have the participants do. (Author/JR)

This book has its origins in an international conference organized by the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation and held in Slaugham, England, in October 1973. The conference brought together an international group of practitioners, administrators, and theoreticians. The five presentations included in the book deal with community development, the use of community resources by the schools, the implications of alternative schools, the relations between the school and the place of work, and the consequences of participation. (Author/IRT)

The booklet prints the following papers delivered at a national conference: Actualizing Concepts in Home Management: Decision Making, Dorothy Z. Price; Innovations in Teaching: Ergonomics, Fern E. Hunt; Relevant Concepts of Home Management: Innovations in Teaching, Kay P. Edwards; Standards in a Managerial Context, Florence S. Walker; Organizing: An Action-Oriented Concept, Nancy A. Barclay; French Lick--Twelve Years Later, Marjorie M. Knoll; A New Look at Home Management, Francille M. Firebaugh; Community Resources to Implement New Concepts of Home Management, Sara Taubin; Actualizing Concepts in Home Management Through Applied Research, Alpha H. Jones; Home Management Field Experiences in a Welfare Department, Mildred J. Brooks; Status of Field Experience as a Home Management Experience: Preliminary Results, Kathleen Faith Mikitka; Techniques of Teaching Home Management: Video-Taped Case Studies, Geraldine Gage; Simulation: A Teaching Technique in Home Management, Dorothy A. Larery; Field Experience Course at North Dakota State University, Bea Rystad; Computer-Assisted Problem Solving: Budgeting for Retirement, Frances M. Magrabi and Lucille Mork; Education Through Student Interaction, Nancy Hungerford and Suzanne Tucker; Spectrum of Life Styles: Today and Tomorrow, Lester A. Kirkendall; Determinants of the Employment Status of the Wife-Mother, Joan Marie Sampson; and Home Management and Single-Parent Families, Louise Bates. (PR)

Presented are 20 papers delivered at the 1975 Northwest Regional Conference on Recreation for the Deaf-Blind. Included are papers on the following topics (with sample papers in parentheses): national trends; interdisciplinary considerations ("Movement and Physical Activity: the Foundation for the Most Important R" by J. Stein); community organization ("Serving Special Populations--Concerns in a Large Community Setting" by S. Tingley); curriculum ("Music and Rhythms for the Deaf-Blind" by W. Sheridan and "Nature, Dating and Transcendental Meditation for Multi-Handicapped Adults" by B. Questad and J. Tiefenthaler); and information resources ("The Learning Resources System as a Resource for Teachers of the Deaf-Blind" by W. Lance). Also provided are conference evaluation results and a list of conference participants. (CL)

The Pendleton Project is an interagency/interdisciplinary program providing outclient, day treatment, and residential services to 6- through 12-year-old children who exhibit serious and persistent behavior problems. The objective of the project is to implement a comprehensive intervention program for the child by means of both direct treatment and referral to other appropriate community resources. Outclient services focus on counseling parents and teachers in alternative methods of child management. Intervention effectiveness is monitored by means of behavioral data. After 3 1/2 years of operation, treatment success is 76% at termination of active intervention services with 58% of the children behaving acceptably at 12-month followup. The treatment effectiveness data, in combination with relatively short treatment time required, strongly support the use of intensive, closely monitored intervention procedures with this population. Interagency participation in the project appears to have significant impact on treatment effectiveness. The interagency model does create problems in financial management and personnel matters and requires assertive public relations efforts for community acceptance, but treatment effectiveness data supports continuation of the model. (Among appendixes are a table of referral statistics, a diagram of the model, and information on termination and followup.) (Author/SBH)

This paper describes a model parent support program which would identify and coordinate existing community resources in an effort to help meet the varied needs of parents (particularly expectant adolescents, new parents and single parents) during pregnancy and the first few months of their children's lives. The components of this program would include training for basic childrearing and family life such as child development, nutrition, health care, child management, home environment planning, family role, and realization of the individual's potential as a parent. In addition, delivery systems for professional advice and care related to health, nutrition, or financial needs and other social services, would be mobilized. Other resources such as a toy lending library, collections of reading materials for parents, baby-sitting services, quality day and/or home care would be located or developed. Strategies for implementation of this model would include making a survey of available community resources, preparing a statement of program objectives, and developing a delivery system, using resources already available in the community. The program plan would be presented to potential members of a multidisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers. Interested team members would then be involved in planning, implementing, and continuously evaluating a locally-appropriate program. (JMB)

The articles included in these proceedings are presented in order to give some insight into the meaning and scope of bilingualism and bilingual education. The volume is divided into sections respresenting the following five areas of concern in bilingual education: philosophy, legal aspects, language and linguistics, culture, and techniques and teaching strategies. The papers dealing with these areas are: (1) "A New Philosophy of Education," by A. Castaneda, P.L. Howard and M. Ramirez; (2) "Lau v Nichols: Implications for Bilingual-Bicultural Education," by E.H. Steinman; (3) "Language and Linguistics in Bilingual Education," by R. C. Troike; (4) "Spanish Usage in the United States," by L. B. Kiddle; (5) "Spanish Speakers' Linguistic Interference on Their English" by D. A. Thomas; (6) "Arguments in Support of Bilingual-Bicultural Education," by S. Betances; (7) "The Cultural, Social, and Educational Backgrounds of the Chaldean and Arabic Students in Michigan Schools," by G. H. Sesi; (8) "The Community: A Neglected Resource for Bilingual Program Effectiveness," by R. Martinez; (9) "Appropriate Models for Bilingual-Bicultural Instruction in Michigan," by W. Katra and W. Cline; (10) "The Implementation of the Bilingual Program for the Vietnamese Children at Palmer Elementary School, Grand Rapids, Michigan," by T. C. Xuan; and (11) "Strategies for the Implementation of Bilingual Programs," by J. Thomas. The appendices give the texts of the U. S. Supreme Court Decision, Lau v. Nichols, and the Michigan Bilingual Education Act. (AMH)