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July 2001 - December 2001 Return to Archives Table of Contents A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and sites for librarians building community. COMMUNITY BUILDING Capacity
building as it relates to the overall quality of life in the communities
nonprofit organizations serve. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
report includes libraries. Library
Connections include: PEOPLE OF COLOR For all our hard-fought alliances and hopes for unity, delving into the dynamics between immigrants and U.S.-born people of color remains a difficult and even risky proposition. These dynamics challenge us to make sense of extraordinary demographic and economic transformations, to bend our minds in new forms of analysis, and to face the delicate constructs that define our racial identity and positioning within the world. http://www.arc.org/C_Lines/CLArchive/story4_2_01.html Library
Connections include:
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and sites for librarians building community. REBUILDING COMMUNITIES Rebuilding
Communities (RCI) is a seven-year initiative of the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, designed to provide the supports needed to help transform
troubled economically disenfranchised neighborhoods into safe,
supportive and productive environments for children, youth and
their families. The Foundation works in partnership with community-based
organizations on comprehensive strategies to reverse social isolation
and disinvestment in low-income neighborhoods.
NAPC is a
membership organization of citizen-led, community-based non-profit
social service planning agencies that serve small and large communities
throughout the United States. Planning councils all across the
country share a common mission: to marshal human and financial
resources to improve the quality of life for people in their communities.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and sites for librarians building community. Preventing
Problems vs. Promoting the Positive: What Do We Want for Our Children?,
May 2000. This discussion of positive aspects of youth development
does not mention libraries as a community resource. How can we
ensure that our cultural and community programs are included in
these discussions? Small Community
Quarterly, the new, free electronic newsletter published by the
National Center for Small Communities (NCSC). For new readers'
information, the NCSC provides small-town decision-makers with
tools to govern effectively and skills to expand local economies,
protect natural resources and preserve community character.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and sites for librarians building community. Is your library
in one of these cities? Neighborhood
Transformation / Family Development is a long-term strategy to
advance the premise that children do better when their families
are strong, and that families do better when they live in supportive
communities. We believe any serious effort to improve outcomes
for children must support families in their child-rearing roles,
and that families must have access to multiple forms of support
in their own neighborhoods to do the best job of raising their
children. This strategy involves working in specific sites to
improve the prospects for families living in tough neighborhoods,
as well as building public will, supporting system reforms, promoting
policies, and strengthening and connecting organizations and disciplines
that contribute to family success.
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NEXO-NEWSLETTER OF THE JULIAN SAMORA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Positive
changes and improved community attitudes towards the migrant and
seasonal farm worker (MSF) population will result from a better
understanding of the population's diverse economic contributions
to the region. Michigan focus, but generalizable to any community
where MSF population exists. http://www.jsri.msu.edu/RandS/nexo/s01/#farm LEARNING TO READ - "SCIENTIFICALLY" Rethinking
Schools article by Gerald Coles examines the string of infomercials
that are coercing schools by enforcing "scientifically-based"
reading programs.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and sites for librarians building community. LEARNING COMMUNITIES/COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE Learning
in community can take a variety of forms. Terms used to describe
the phenomenon of groups (communities) of individuals learning
together include learning communities and communities of practice;
these terms are appearing more frequently in the literature. ASSESSING WELFARE REFORM AT THE STREET LEVEL As debates
begin next year on reauthorizing welfare reform, policymakers
will need to know more than what works in terms of measured indicators.
They will also need to know how things work. How are staff at
welfare offices, training programs, job placement units, and work
sites translating the idea of reform into the reality of practice?
What does this mean for the welfare experience as encountered
by recipients in different places and under varied conditions?
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and
sites for librarians building community. NEW LOCALISM TO NURTURE ACTIVE AND INFORMED CITIZENS The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) proposes a set of new rules that builds community by supporting humanly scaled politics and economics. http://www.newrules.org/ ADVOCACY COMMUNICATIONS "Now Hear
This: The Nine Laws of Successful Advocacy Communications" BUILDING COMMUNITY TOOLS Community-based
organizations fighting for access to housing, better jobs, economic
development, and a voice in their neighborhoods have enough struggle
to face: it's critical that they have strong organizations that
can withstand the pressures of working for change.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and sites for librarians building community. 2-1-1 UPDATE 2-1-1 is the national
abbreviated dialing code for free access to health and human services
information and referral (I&R). 2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember
and universally recognizable number that makes a critical connection
between individuals and families in need and the appropriate community-based
organizations and government agencies. 2-1-1 makes it possible for
people in need to navigate the complex and ever-growing maze of
human services' agencies and programs. By making services easier
to access, 2-1-1 encourages prevention and fosters self-sufficiency. LIBRARY SERVICE TO DAY LABORERS This list of resources
does not aim to describe or prescribe methods of library outreach
to jornaleros; we know of no such resources. Rather what's
intended is to point toward information that will assist librarians
in crafting services to these workers. http://www.sol-plus.net/jornaleros.htm SMART GROWTH AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING National Neighborhood
Coalition- New report examines the findings and policy recommendations
of researchers and practitioners addressing the effects of smart
growth on affordable housing. Ultimately, the research suggests
that careful planning and a regional approach to affordable housing
must be a fundamental component of smart growth.
A LIBRARIAN AT EVERY TABLE
Sources and sites for librarians building community. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING: CONNECTING TWO WORLDS Institute for Educational Leadership manual offers strategies for community organizations and schools to communicate and work effectively with each other. http://www.iel.org/programs.html NEW FREEDOM INITIATIVE The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services is asking for public comments on barriers
in federal policy that might impede the ability of people who have
disabilities to fully participate in community life and requests
public suggestions on how federal agencies can better support people
with disabilities and help them live more independently in their
communities. Comments due by August 27. NATIONAL COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS Activities include public
education, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and technical
assistance. August 2001 Return to Archives Table of Contents A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and
sites for librarians building community. DIGITAL DEMOCRACY: CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE 21st CENTURY: NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE'S 107th CONFERENCE Technology's
impact on community building has received little attention outside
discussions on the digital divide. This conference will seek to
address how technology can be harnessed to strengthen community
by highlighting best practices and models of online community engagement
projects. It will demonstrate how practitioners at the local level
are leading efforts that utilize technology to strengthen democracy.
It will assess the obstacles that technology projects must overcome
in effective community-building efforts. It will also seek to answer
whether there are limits to using online programs to strengthen
community. NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCLES The Asset-Based
Community Development (ABCD) Institute recently launched a community-organizing
project called the Neighborhood Circle. The project is comprised
of twelve local groups committed to organizing their communities
using ABCD principles whose efforts are being guided by a national
training director. ABCD offers a unique contribution to ways of
thinking about community organizing in that it emphasizes that
all individuals in a community have valuable gifts to contribute,
that most local associations can be contributing to the well-being
of the community, and that the key to a strong community is that
producers actually live inside the community. ABCD has clear core
values about keeping citizens central, encouraging a focus on developing
local economies seeking cooperation rather than competition, being
inclusive, inviting innovation and creativity, developing sustainable
initiatives that last, and supporting place-based neighborhood
work. STATE ASSET DEVELOPMENT POLICIES Even before
the recent decline in the economy, the country was faced with the
paradox of hunger amidst prosperity, record-high employment but
with many struggling to make ends meet, and an increasing wealth
gap of concern to liberals and conservatives alike. Families that
consider themselves part of the nation's solid middle class struggle
from paycheck to paycheck, worried about mounting bills, unforeseen
health expenses and college education for their children...This
document reflects the assumption that we can do better, and that
the idea of asset development holds the key to a unifying policy
vision for the future. Asset development is a concept that embodies
common goals and shared values across much of the political spectrum,
because its goal is social mobility and poverty reduction by building
human capital and financial wealth, in tandem with policies to
achieve adequate incomes. Scroll down on the page (link below)
for asset development papers. A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and
sites for librarians building community. SUPPORT FOR ENTRY-LEVEL WORKERS Concern is
growing about the mounting evidence that many disadvantaged and
minority workers get stuck in low-level entry jobs that don't pay
well and offer no opportunities for advancement. Several strategies
are presented to deal with this issue. Includes bibliography. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA While Hispanic
families have benefited from the economic expansion, many have
had a more difficult time moving out of poverty than other American
families. In part, this is because economic gains for Hispanic
families are the result of working more hours rather than from
improvements in skills, occupations, and wages. Consequently, many
Hispanic families remain extremely vulnerable financially, have
little savings, few assets, and work in jobs without benefits and
long-term security. STAYING PUT: A MOBILITY AWARENESS ACTION PLAN Children
who had moved at least three times during their elementary years
had reading scores on nationally normed tests that averaged 20
points lower on a 99-point scale than those of children who had
not moved. This multi-faceted initiative educates the school community
about the effects of moving. Could youth services in public libraries
help?
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE Sources and
sites for librarians building community. LISTENING
TO FAMILIES: THE ROLE OF VALUES IN SHAPING EFFECTIVE PUBLIC This groundbreaking
paper, published by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, uses
case studies of issues affecting children and families-as well
as interviews with more than 30 academics, policymakers, and advocates-to
argue that values are a key part of the policymaking process. The
paper demonstrates how advocates for children must learn to develop
proposals that resonate with public values about work and family,
and then market their ideas by using language and stories that
make sense to ordinary citizens. RURAL POVERTY: WELFARE REFORM REAUTHORIZATION AND RURAL AMERICA A new study
on rural poverty finds that the rural poor have fewer opportunities
to find work and less chance of finding financially rewarding jobs
than their urban counterparts. Calls for stimulating job investment
and support services in these areas. (Note: this is a pdf file.)
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE HARDSHIPS IN AMERICA: THE REAL STORY OF WORKING FAMILIES This 115-page
report, released by Economic Policy Institute (EPI) at the end
of last month, "is the most comprehensive study of family hardships
ever published." The report examines the plight of the working
poor by determining basic family budgets for communities across
the nation -- the amount of money a family needs for food, housing,
utilities, child care, transportation, and health care -- and comparing
these figures to wage statistics. The report concludes that two-and-a-half
times more families fall beneath the basic family budget levels
for their communities than fall below the federal poverty line.
(pdf file) CHILDREN SUFFER WHEN WELFARE-TO-WORK PROGRAMS FAIL In families where welfare-to-work programs have resulted in reduced family income, children are more likely to suffer negative effects according to a recent Children's Defense Fund (CDF) study. The report finds that programs that are most helpful to children are those that raise family income and economic security. http://www.childrensdefense.org/familyincome/welfare/fs_wellbeing.pdf WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM: AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 7, 2001 Race, though
always a social construction and ever changing, will be up for
some real stretching this summer at the World Conference Against
Racism. In fact, the meeting's full title, the World Conference
Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, is just one
indication of how big the tent will be. A significant push for
the expansion came from Europe, where groups lobbied to ensure
that ethnic cleansing and anti-Semitism made it in the mix. Groups
working on Anti-Semitism united with those from Eastern Europe
to form almost 80 percent of the region's World Conference preparatory
meeting participants. The net effect is the broadening of scope
from that of the first two gatherings that had a shorter name--World
Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY: CONNECTING TWO WORLDS Educators
are struggling to improve student learning inside the classroom,
while community builders are working from the outside to mobilize
residents and organize coalitions to build the community's social,
educational, physical, economic and political infrastructure. Usually,
however, these groups are isolated from one another. This report
focuses on ways for educators and community builders to forge common
ground and engage each other in new ways to help improve student
learning. It will help community school advocates understand how
to work more effectively with school and community leaders. The
Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) - a non-profit, nonpartisan
organization based in Washington, D.C. - works to achieve better
results CAN THE INFORMATION COMMONS BE SAVED? The Center
for Arts and Culture has posted a paper by David Bollier, a Fellow
at the New America Foundation, called "Can the Information Commons
be Saved? How Intellectual Property Policies are Eroding Democratic
Culture & Some Strategies for Asserting the Public Interest,"
examines the paradox of the Internet age -- unprecedented access
to information and the simultaneous convergence of "commercial
forces . . . to make information more scarce, or at least more
expensive and amenable to strict market control." The Center believes
that a shrinking information commons should be of critical concern
to the creative sector where a vibrant public domain and viable
fair use provisions are essential to the sector's health. LOCAL HISTORY FROM HISTORICAL SOCIETIES (Examples). The Kansas
Interpretive Traveling Exhibits Service - KITES - may be just what
you're looking for! Schools, museums, libraries, arts councils,
retirement homes, and others can benefit from KITES. History on
Wheels: Outreach Program Nevada Historical Society September 2001 Return to Archives Table of Contents A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE DON'T BEAT THEM DOWN, LIFT THEM UP. From Caseload
Reduction to Poverty Reduction National Campaign for Jobs and Income
Support, 8/29/2001. A new vision for TANF will require profound
cultural change at every level. Policymakers and political elites
will have to acknowledge that TANF needs to accommodate the realities
of the low-wage labor market and low-income families today. States
and welfare administrators will have to change the orientation
of the system from "beat them down" and "get them off" to "lift
them up." A PDF report at the site of the National Campaign for
Jobs and Income Support --first item under "latest reports." Article
& links at Neighborhood Funders Group. BLACK COMMUNITY CRUSADE FOR CHILDREN The Black
Community Crusade for Children's mission is to ensure that no child
is left behind and that every child has a Healthy Start, A Head
Start, A Fair Start, A Safe Start, a Moral Start in life, with
the support of caring parents and nurturing communities. Coordinated
nationally by the Children's Defense Fund. FAMILY RESOURCE
INFORMATION,EDUCATION, AND NETWORK (FRIENDS) is the National Resource Center for the Community-Based Family Resource Services (CBFRS) program. A service of the Children's Bureau, FRIENDS works with many partners including National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect, to support efforts to prevent child abuse and provide support services to families. FRIENDS offers a range of services designed to assist states, tribal organizations, and local programs in the development of community-based family resource programs and networks throughout the United States. FRIENDS is a collaborative effort between two organizations with many years of experience in delivering training and technical assistance, the Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project, Inc., and the Family Support America. Together they are able to offer a broad range of services and materials. http://www.friendsnrc.org/ A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY NEWSLETTER National
Institute for Literacy's electronic newsletter, a new monthly publication
full of the latest information on activities to move adult and
family literacy from the margins to the mainstream. 24/7 COMMUNITY INFORMATION IN JOHNSON COUNTY,KANSAS JoCoFamily.Net
is funded through a Juvenile Crime Prevention grant from the Tenth
Judicial District of Johnson County, Kansas. It has been created
by the Johnson County Library( http://www.jcl.lib.ks.us/ ) with
support from the District Attorney's Office and Juvenile Intake
and Assessment Center. This information service provides 24-hour
access to community resources and legal information for Johnson
County families of at-risk youth. ZERO TO THREE ZERO TO THREE's
mission is to promote the healthy development of our nation's infants
and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families, communities,
and those who work on their behalf. We are dedicated to advancing
current knowledge; promoting beneficial policies and practices;
communicating research and best practices to a wide variety of
audiences; and providing training, technical assistance and leadership
development.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE DEMOCRACY
IN THE DIGITAL AGE SUSTAINING RURAL COMMUNITIES The National
Rural Funders Collaborative (NRFC) is a new funding and learning
initiative designed to leverage over the next 10 years $100 million
to strengthen and sustain rural communities and families facing
persistent poverty. NRFC was created in July 2001 through the joint
efforts of seven U.S. foundations. The goal of NRFC is to expand
to include other public, private and corporate private resource
partners at the local, regional and national levels, thereby enlarging
the commitment to rural America. The basic strategy for doing so
is to encourage and help establish meaningful, engaging and effective
partnerships to unite regional and national funders and community
partners. WORKERS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE. A new report
from the Urban Institute and Community Voices offers a detailed
analysis of the uninsured working population (15.5%)Compares the
relative merits of two key means of expanding coverage: tax credits
or public programs. Suggests that health insurance subsidies for
low-income workers are the most efficient way to expand coverage.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE RED CROSS It is very
difficult to access the American Red Cross Site right now, but
keep trying: https://www.redcross.org/
Some information is available on the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. FEMA-FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY English:
http://www.fema.gov/ INTERFAITH ALLIANCE The Interfaith Alliance is a non-partisan clergy-led grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the positive and healing role of religion in the life of the nation and challenging those who manipulate religion to promote intolerance. With more than 130,000 members drawn from over 50 faith traditions, local Alliances 38 states, and a national network of religious leaders, The Interfaith Alliance promotes compassion, civility and mutual respect for human dignity in our increasingly diverse society. http://www.interfaithalliance.org/
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE NATIONAL LOW-INCOME HOUSING COALITION It would
be a mistake for advocates to retreat in our pursuit of the social
justice agenda, because, as Jane Addams taught us, "peace is not
merely the absence of war but the nurture of human life." Ultimately,
peace will elude us until we intervene to end poverty and inequality
at home and abroad. GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT NETWORK The Orion
Society is an award-winning publisher, an environmental education
organization, and a communications and support network for grassroots
environmental and community organizations across North America.
It is a nonprofit membership organization with 8000 members, individual
and organizational, representing all fifty states and thirty-one
foreign countries. STRENGTH AND DIVERSITY OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS The Rockefeller
Institute's Urban and Metropolitan Studies center seeks: to present
a fuller picture of the actual strength and diversity of metropolitan
neighborhoods, especially those that are predominately-minority
and working- or middle-class; to gauge the effects of neighborhoods
on residents, particularly children; to closely examine efforts
by residents and other stakeholders to improve the future of their
neighborhoods through Comprehensive Community Initiatives and otherwise;
to explore linkages between inner-city areas and regional economies;
and to identify public policies that can help ensure the stability
of non-poor communities and by extension, help turn around their
poorer counterparts.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE NATIONAL COMMUNITY BUILDING NETWORK The National
Community Building Network (NCBN) is a national network that serves
as hub for brokering information and connections among community
builders. NCBN regularly brings its members together and helps
community builders become more effective so that their actions
have a greater impact on neglected low-income communities. The
mission of NCBN is to promote and advance community building principles,
in practice and policy, to achieve social and economic equity for
all children and families. The principles that undergird the work
of the NCBN: Integrate community development and human service
strategies; Start from local conditions; Build on community strengths;
Support families and children; Foster broad community participation;
Forge partnerships through collaboration; Require racial equity;
Value cultural strengths. JIM CASEY YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES INITIATIVE Major national
effort to help youth in foster care make successful transitions
to adulthood. Nonprofit organization formed by two of the leading
foundations focused exclusively on child and youth well-being:
The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs. The Jim
Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative brings together the people
and resources needed to help youth make the connections they need
to education, employment opportunities, health care, and housing. OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIMES AND COMMUNITY SCHOOL INITIATIVES The Finance
Project discusses how the Child Care and Development Fund authorized
by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act can be used for collaborative projects. Available for download:
LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE LIVING WAGE RESOURCES Living Wage
Resource Center to track the living wage movement and provide materials
and strategies to the new campaigns that are cropping up everywhere.
Brief history of the national living wage movement, background
materials such as ordinance summaries and comparisons, drafting
tips, research summaries, talking points, and links to other living
wage-related sites. Compiled by the Association of Community Organizations
for Reform Now (ACORN). REFUGEE SERVICE CENTER Who is a
refugee? A refugee is a person who has fled his or her country
of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on
race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in
a particular social group. The United States accepts approximately
75,000 refugees each year from diverse regions of the world. The
Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Refugee Service Center specializes
in the development of materials that help refugee newcomers understand
fundamental aspects of life in the United States. Orientation materials
cover such topics as housing, community services, transportation,
health, employment, and cultural adjustment in several Asian, European,
African, and Middle Eastern languages. BROWN CENTER REPORT ON AMERICAN EDUCATION. Focusing
on gaps forces people to see education as a valued resource that
is distributed differently to different students, inviting questions
about the educational system's fundamental fairness and a sober
consideration of what it will really take to ensure that students
who struggle academically learn what they need to learn, of what
truly is required so that no child is left behind.
HEADSUP! NETWORK: September 28 National
Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) series of four HeadsUp! Network
programs designed to assist Head Start management teams at all
levels of implementation of family literacy services. Each program
draws upon the rich experience of NCFL staff as well as staff from
various Head Start programs to address specific issues around the
implementation of family literacy services in Head Start Program
series kicks off on September 28, 2001 at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard
Time. CULTURE, RACE, ETHNICITY & MENTAL HEALTH Mental Health:
Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, A Supplement to Mental Health: A
Report of the Surgeon General. "Seek help if you have a mental
health problem or think you have symptoms of a mental disorder.
The recommendation to seek help is particularly vital, considering
the majority of people with diagnosable disorders, regardless of
race or ethnicity, do not receive treatment. The stigma surrounding
mental illness is a powerful barrier to reaching treatment. People
with mental illness feel shame and fear of discrimination about
a condition that is as real and disabling as any other serious
health condition." ACROSS-THE-BOARD-CUTS IN DOMESTIC DISCRETIONARY SPENDING The White
House and Congress are negotiating over the cap on discretionary
spending for FY 2002, which starts next week. If the Administration
holds to the $691 billion limit on outlays -- and still pushes
for the increases it wants for defense and education spending -
it will mean across-the-board cuts in non-defense discretionary
programs of
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING The Enterprise
Foundation is building America, one community at a time. We work
with partners to provide low-income people with affordable housing,
safer streets and access to jobs and childcare. We provide loans,
grants and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that
are building and revitalizing local neighborhoods. We have a national
network of 1,900 nonprofit organizations, public housing authorities
and Native American Tribes in more than 700 locations. 2 COMMUNITY BUILDING BOOK REVIEWS ONLINE The Connection
Gap: Why Americans Feel So Alone, By Laura Pappano. Rutgers University
Press. October 2001 Return to Archives Table of Contents ADULT LITERACY:
NAAL 2002: OVERVIEW EARTH CHARTER---
WORLD and U.S.---SEPTEMBER 29,2001 For over
a decade diverse groups throughout the world have endeavored to
create an EARTH CHARTER that sets forth fundamental ethical principles
for a sustainable way of life. The goal of sustainable development
is full human development and ecological protection. The EARTH
CHARTER recognizes that humanity's environmental, economic, social,
cultural, ethical, and spiritual problems and aspirations are interconnected.
It affirms the need for holistic thinking and collaborative, integrated The launching
of the first annual U.S. EARTH CHARTER Community Summits was September
29, 2001. Summits occurred simultaneously in cities across the
country: Austin, Boulder, Chicago, Denton, Texas; Honolulu, Indianapolis,
Jackson, Mississippi; Philadelphia, Portland, Maine; San Francisco,
Seattle, and Tampa all hosted Earth Charter Community Summits,
each with an agenda tailored to the particular city, but linked
together by satellite at the beginning and end of the day.
October 4, 2001, No. 25 HOUSING OUT
OF REACH Millions
of households in the United States cannot afford to pay for decent
housing. Far fewer people know the extent of the affordability
problem in their own communities. The National Low Income Housing
Coalition produces Out of Reach in an effort to provide this information
to policy makers and advocates.
FIRST THINGS
FIRST U.S. Representative
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) October 2 announced the introduction of the
FIRST THINGS FIRST ACT of 2001 (H.R.2999) to help the federal government
meet the long term critical needs of millions of Americans and
respond to the September 11th terrorist attacks. Schakowsky pointed
out that Congress allocated an unexpected $55 billion to deal with
the recent tragedy and to bolster national security, thus adding
additional demands on the budget. "Just as critical are the 5.4
million families with urgent housing needs, the 13 million seniors
and people with disabilities without any prescription drug coverage,
and the students who are now learning in overcrowded, crumbling
schools.
October 8, 2001, No. 26 POVERTY RATE-MOST
RECENT DATA According
to the poverty report issued by the Census Bureau's Housing and
Household Economic Statistics Division, the poverty rate in 2000
was 11.3 percent, down from 11.8 percent in 1999. About 1.1 million
fewer people were poor in 2000 than in 1999 -- 31.1 million versus
32.3 million. The poverty rate in 2000 was the lowest in 21 years
-- not statistically different from the rate in 1979 or the record
low of 11.1 percent set in 1973. In addition, the number of poor
families fell by nearly half a million over the period, to 6.2
million in 2000. Press release below provides links to reports. WORKPLACE
MENTORING Workplace
mentoring has been identified as an important aspect of work-based
learning in projects conducted under the School-to-Work Opportunities
Act. By establishing relationships with caring and competent adults
who can provide emotional support and facilitate skill development,
less-experienced youth and adults are more likely to bridge CHILDREN'S
HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP) Trends in
CHIP Expenditures: State-by-State Data. A new brief reviews the
latest data available on states' use of CHIP funds and explores
the effect of a pending dip in CHIP funding on states' ability
to provide health care coverage to uninsured, low-income children.
October 12, 2001, No. 27 NATIONAL
2-1-1 FUNDING "Protecting
America's Children Against Terrorism Act" introduced by Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) on October 11, 2001 would
make sure the special health needs of children are taken into account
in responding to the threat of terrorism. Provides funding to implement
2-1-1, a universal and easy-to-remember telephone number designed
by the United Way and the Alliance of Information and Referral
Systems to assess the needs of children and families and connect
them with available services, many being coordinated by the over
400 hotline numbers established in the wake of the September 11th
attacks. A LOCAL LADDER
FOR THE WORKING POOR The federal
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) will increase the earnings of over
18 million low-income working families in the U.S. by more than
$30 billion this year. This survey provides the first look at how
the EITC, and the working poor families it benefits, are distributed
in the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas. All reports available
on Brookings Institution site. LATINO TECHNOLOGY
NETWORK The Latino
Technology Network (LTN) has been awarded a federal grant to establish
a virtual private network to connect 12 diverse Community Based
Organizations (CBOs) across the nation. The LTN project will facilitate
information sharing, web hosting, education, health, public policy
education, and promote cooperation among groups providing services
to Latino communities. Community Technology Centers will be established
within 11 of the organizations for educational and technology training.
October 15, 2001, No. 28 THE AFTERSCHOOL
ALLIANCE The Afterschool
Alliance was launched publicly in September 1999 as a coalition
of public, private, and nonprofit organizations dedicated to raising
awareness of the importance of after school programs and advocating
for quality, affordable programs for all children. The Alliance
was formed on the belief that after school programs are critical
to children and families today, and that the need for programs
is not adequately addressed. As many as 15 million children have
no place to go after the school bell rings. These children are
at significant risk of getting poor grades, being victims of crime,
or participating in anti-social behaviors that have grave consequences
and costs to society. WELFARE AND
THE WORKING POOR IN A BATTERED ECONOMY The sweeping
changes to the welfare system in the late '90s came about during
a period of unprecedented economic growth and high employment.
While much research on how families are faring reflects the impact
of a booming economy, how families will fare in a welfare-to-work
policy environment during a recession has yet to be tested. At
this Urban Institute panel, state welfare administrators and policy
analysts had lots of ideas for improving welfare-to-work programs
to help low-wage families sustain earnings and access benefits
necessary to support a family. RURAL AMERICA All the feature
articles in this issue deal with one theme-community colleges.
Community colleges have gone through a half-century of significant
change, evolving from liberal arts schools preparing students for
4-year colleges to schools more focused on technical and vocational
training, often with missions explicitly oriented toward local
economic development.
October 17, 2001, No. 29 WOMEN, INFANTS,
CHILDREN FUNDED INSUFFICIENTLY
LIMITED ASSISTANCE
TO UNEMPLOYED WORKERS Ways and
Means legislation provides extremely limited assistance to unemployed
workers. The package speeds up the transfer of $9 billion already
slated to be shifted from the federal unemployment insurance trust
funds to state unemployment accounts. It also provides states with
$3 billion through the Social Services Block Grant to provide health
coverage for unemployed workers. These provisions are unlikely
to offer much assistance to the unemployed or to provide much stimulus
to the economy.
A LIBRARIAN
AT EVERY TABLE RETHINKING SCHOOLS Our schools
remain largely segregated and are becoming more so. Segregated
schools are still highly unequal. Segregation by race relates to
segregation by poverty and to many forms of educational inequality
for African American and Latino students; few whites experience
impoverished schools. Efforts to overcome the effects of segregation
through special programs have had some success, but there is no
evidence that they have equalized systems of segregated schools. EXPANDING
AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH INCLUSIONARY ZONING Many jurisdictions
are looking for new ways to house not only low-income residents,
but also working families who fill critical positions in the labor
market. One of the ways in which jurisdictions are meeting this
challenge is through inclusionary zoning, a program that principally
requires developers to include affordable homes when they build
a particular number of market-rate homes. Issued by the Brookings
Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy.
October 22, 2001, No. 31 BROOKINGS
POLICY BRIEF ON SERVICES COORDINATION Welfare offices
in many states have been haphazard in linking clients to pregnancy
prevention and other family formation services, particularly where
state policy gives them little or no support. In addition, they
have only recently made job retention and advancement a high priority.
Improving the performance of welfare offices would be facilitated
by removing conflicting requirements across programs as well as
by improving the training of workers and coordination across human
services agencies. SCHOOLS THAT
SHARE FACILITIES ARE MORE EFFECTIVE Schools that
share facilities with community-based organizations also greatly
benefit their students and families. Schools with shared facilities
are able to offer: broader learning opportunities for students,
high-quality services for students and families, higher student
achievement, and a more efficient use of tax dollars. ECONOMIC
SLUMP WILL TEST SAFETY NET With unemployment
headed toward 6%, perhaps higher, concerns are growing about the
adequacy of the government's safety net for the jobless and the
poor. Even a mild downturn would be the first hard-times test of
a dramatically altered system of aid for the needy, says The Christian
Science Monitor. As welfare recipients hit five-year limit, states
have less for needy.
October 24, 2001, No. 32 GRASSROOTS
NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIONS The National Training and Information Center was established in 1972. Its mission is to build grassroots leadership and strengthen neighborhoods through issue-based community organizing. Crime prevention through community organizing is one of the most common concerns identified by the leaders of community groups with which NTIC works. NTIC publishes DISCLOSURE, The `national newspaper of neighborhoods,' covers issues of concern to communities and highlights the actions of grassroots neighborhood groups across the country. http://www.disclosure-us.org/ DEEPER EDUCATIONAL
DISPARITY In a recent
report "Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace: Taking the Lead
on e-Learning Policy," the National Association of State Boards
of Education (NASBE) concludes that an ad hoc education technology
system is developing that exacerbates existing education disparities
and cannot assure a high standard of education for all students. CAMPAIGN
FOR FAMILY LEAVE BENEFITS The National
Partnership for Women and Families (http://www.nationalpartnership.org/index.html)
has launched a Campaign for Family Leave Benefits. Since the Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted in 1993, it has helped
35 million Americans take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected
leave to care for their new babies and sick family members, and
to recover from their own serious illnesses, without hurting businesses.
Yet too many women and men simply cannot afford to take unpaid
leave, even when their families need them most. The bipartisan
Family Leave Commission found that nearly two-thirds of employees
who did not take needed leave cited lost wages as the primary reason. October 26, 2001, No. 33 BRIDGING
THE ORGANIZATIONAL DIVIDE As policies
are developed to bridge the digital divide these must be linked
to broader strategies for social change. For full downloadable
report go to PolicyLink and click on "publications." PolicyLink
is a national nonprofit research, communications, capacity building,
and advocacy organization, dedicated to advancing policies to achieve
economic and social equity based on the wisdom, voice, and experience
of local constituencies. For more information on PolicyLink, please
visit TEACHING
CULTURAL POLICY Cultural Policy is an unsettled universe that encompasses such varied issues as public benefit, patronage and philanthropy, the non-profit sector, artists' rights and intellectual property, national heritage and cultural patrimony, the cultural industries, public education, privatization, pornography and censorship, entertainment markets and cultural tourism. The Center for Arts and Culture, America's first independent think tank for arts and cultural issues, co-sponsored a workshop, "Teaching Cultural Policy," hosted by Joan Jeffri, Columbia University, and J. Mark Schuster, MIT, at Columbia University Teacher's College. The report from that workshop is available on the Center's website http://www.culturalpolicy.org/ at http://www.culturalpolicy.org/archive/whatsnew/jeffrireport.pdf FAMILY SUPPORT
MAPPING PROJECT The National
Family Support Mapping Project is a Family Support America project
to locate and collect information on every family support program
in the country and to create a national database of comprehensive
information on family support programs.
October 29, 2001, No. 34 LEADERSHIP
FOR A CHANGING WORLD Leadership for a Changing World seeks to recognize, strengthen and support leaders, and to highlight the importance of leadership in improving peoples' lives. The program seeks to confirm that resourceful leaders are bringing about positive change in virtually every community. These outstanding leaders and leadership groups work in such areas as economic and community development, human rights, the arts, education, human development, sexual and reproductive health, religion, media, and the environment. http://leadershipforchange.org/ NATIONAL
DAY OF ACTION FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN SCHOOLS-10/30/01 The major
school policy trends and current spending priorities are failing
to address the widespread racial inequalities in our schools and
are, in fact, exacerbating institutional racism. High-stakes testing
and maximum-security school environments are both essentially punitive
measures that amount to sophisticated forms of racial profiling
and punishment of students of color. These punitive policies also
detract attention and resources from positive reforms that have
proven results in improving educational excellence and equity -
such as expanding the pool of high-quality teachers so that there's
a top-notch teacher in every class, and reducing the size of schools
and classes. A TIME OF
SERIOUS FISCAL DISTRESS "Medicaid
Budgets Under Stress: Survey Findings for State Fiscal Year 2000,
2001, and 2002" is a survey of states detailing current Medicaid
spending, the factors contributing to the growth, and what states
are doing to curb the growth. This report was substantially completed
prior to September 11; therefore, an update was commissioned that
conveys the outlook since September 11. "Medicaid and State Budgets:
An October 2001 Update" surveyed twenty states with four additional
questions to assess the radically changed environment. This is
a link to a pdf file.
October 31, 2001, No. 35 ALLIANCE
FOR REGIONAL STEWARDSHIP Regional
Stewards recognize the interdependencies between four spheres: GENTRIFICATION
TOOLKIT Gentrification
and displacement can result when new investments in neglected communities
produce new and renovated housing stock; new businesses; and improved
community services-highly sought goals in disinvested communities.
With strategic planning, however, long time, low-income community
members-primarily people of color-can be protected and the neighborhood
culture preserved. This toolkit features successful approaches
to equitable development. EMERGENCY
AND TRANSITIONAL SHELTER POPULATION 2002 The following
facilities were included in the census count: emergency shelters
(with sleeping facilities); shelters for children who are runaways,
neglected or without conventional housing; transitional shelters
for people without conventional housing; and hotels and motels
used to provide shelter for people without conventional housing.
(a pdf file) November 2001 Return to Archives Table of Contents November
5, 2001, No. 36 "Red
Tape, Silver Hammers, and Shattered Ashtrays: What States and Communities
Can Learn from Eight Years of Federal Reinvention." The National
Partnership for Reinventing Government, a legacy of the Clinton
Administration, created a government that worked better, cost
less, and got results Americans care about. (pdf file) SWEEPING
BLUEPRINT TO REFORM THE NATION'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Brookings
Institution article). The Bush plan for rewards and sanctions
puts schools with large percentages of impoverished students
at a particular disadvantage. Bush is right to encourage high
standards for every student. Yet nearly four decades of research
dating back to the landmark Coleman Report makes plain that
such students, on average, don't score as high as affluent
students, regardless of how expertly they're taught. What encourages
the best teachers and principals in those schools to get out
of bed in the morning is not some vision of perfection, but
the belief that with hard work and determination they can make
their schools better over time. URBAN INDIAN
HEALTH More than
half (57%) of the 2.5 million people who identify themselves
solely as American Indian and Alaska Native in the 2000 Census
live in metropolitan areas. This issue brief describes the
large and growing urban Indian population, their health status,
and the major federal health programs and federal-state programs
that are available to improve Native Americans' access to needed
health services. (Kaiser Family Foundation Report). November
16, 2001, No. 37 MUSEUMS AND
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE What is museums' role in the civic enterprise? How do museums build social capital and contribute to community life? What do communities and museums have to offer one another? How are they pursuing the possibilities for engagement today? What should they aim for? A project of the American Association of Museums. http://www.aam-us.org/initiatives/m&c/index.cfm THE FUTURE
OF THE TECH SAVVY CITY Just as many
old economy businesses have transformed themselves in order
to participate in the new economy, city governments will have
to alter their economic development policies to address the
particular needs of high-tech firms. Instead of simply focusing
on traditional programs designed to retain and attract large
companies, cities must begin to focus more on retaining and
attracting skilled employees. Those cities that maintain a
high quality of life and encourage networking between digital-age
entrepreneurs and other sectors of the economy are likely to
do best in the post-industrial order. From the Center for an
Urban Future. WELFARE REFORM
RE-AUTHORIZATION The 1996
reforms shifted the focus of welfare-to-work programs away from
education and training and instead moved toward a focus on
immediate job placement. The thinking was that the experience
of working would be enough to propel new workers into higher
paying and more skilled jobs. Evidence of cycling between welfare
and work, however, shows that adults are having difficulty
holding jobs. Whether to increase education and training and
allow training to count toward work requirements are likely
to be important topics of discussion during reauthorization.
November
19, 2001, No. 38 HUNGER IN
AMERICA-2001 Study measures
the extent to which our fellow Americans are seeking emergency
food assistance and the response to hunger by a nationwide
network of charitable hunger-relief agencies and volunteers.
From America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief
organization. ENDING POVERTY
ON A NATIONAL LEVEL How to elevate
the importance of ending poverty on a national level? The objective
is to transform local and state organizing on jobs and welfare
issues into a movement that tackles economic justice more broadly.
The National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support is a national
coalition of grassroots organizations in 40 states that seeks
to advance progressive anti-poverty policies at the state and
national levels. COMMUNITIES
AT WORK "Communities
at Work: A Guidebook of Strategic Interventions for Community
Change" outlines six interventions that local education funds
have successfully used to create lasting change in public school
districts: (1)community dialogue, (2) constituency building,
(3) engaging
November
21, 2001, No. 39 TELECOMMUNICATIONS
IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST The Department of Commerce's Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) promotes the widespread availability and use of digital network technologies in the public and non-profit sectors. TOP grants have played an important role in realizing the vision of an information society by demonstrating practical applications of new telecommunications and information technologies to serve the public interest. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top/grants/grants.htm BOOKS FOR
LITERACY PROGRAMS National
Book Scholarship Fund from Laubach Literacy. Typically, funding
for literacy programs is inadequate and dwindling, while the
demand for these educational services is exploding. A major
roadblock to meeting this need is the high cost of acquiring
the printed materials necessary to work effectively with existing
students and to start new efforts. The National Book Scholarship
Fund confronts this problem by providing in kind grants of
books and other materials local programs can use to expand
their current efforts and start new initiatives. COMPREHENSIVE
CENSUS DATA ON 64 CITIES The Census
Bureau released the most comprehensive and detailed data on
American families in 64 cities across the country on November
20, 2001. The Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS) data
detail housing, language, income and other statistics. The
C2SS, which used the American Community Survey (ACS) methodology
and questionnaire, is the largest survey ever
November
26, 2001, No. 40 CONTINUUM
OF CARE HUD (Housing
and Urban Development) believes the best approach for alleviating
homelessness is through a coordinated community-based process
that provides a comprehensive response to the differing needs
of homeless individuals and families. This concept, called
a Continuum of Care, has been implemented in over 400 communities
across the country. This Web page resource will provide general
information about the Continuum of Care, as well as materials
that can be used by communities to enhance their Continuums.
2-1-1 BY
STATE State by
state report on the status of 2-1-1 implementation. 2-1-1 is
the national abbreviated dialing code for free access to health
and human services information and referral (I&R). 2-1-1
is an easy-to-remember and universally recognizable number
that makes a critical connection between individuals and families
in need and the appropriate community-based organizations and
government agencies. 2-1-1 makes it possible for people in
need to navigate the complex and ever-growing maze of human
services' agencies and programs. By making services easier
to access, 2-1-1 encourages prevention and fosters self-sufficiency. CODE OF ETHICS
FOR MUSEUMS Museums make
their unique contribution to the public by collecting, preserving,
and interpreting the things of this world. Historically, they
have owned and used natural objects, living and nonliving,
and all manner of human artifacts to advance knowledge and
nourish the human spirit.
November
28, 2001, No. 41 GRADING THE
CITIES: GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE PROJECT A city is
not a bundle of first impressions. It is a collection of details
about the practice of urban public management. The material
in this issue - a series of 35 report cards about America's
largest city governments - is a digest of those details. For
each city a few of the most important elements - both positive
and negative - are presented. (Maxwell School of Government
and Public Affairs, Syracuse University) DOMESTIC
TERRORISM AND NON-PROFITS The "USA
PATRIOT Act" (PL 107-56) could pose big problems for nonprofits,
especially those that advocate changes in US foreign policy
or provide social services to individuals that become targets
of government investigations. The central problem is a vague,
overbroad definition of a new crime, "domestic terrorism".
(The attacks of September 11th are crimes under pre-USA PATRIOT
Act law, making this provision unnecessary.) In addition, greatly
expanded search and surveillance powers can be invoked under
a lowered threshold, requiring only that investigators assert
that information sought is relevant to a foreign intelligence
investigation. HIGH SCHOOL
DROPOUT RATES In October
2000, some 3.8 million of the 34.6 million young adults living
in the United States had not completed high school and were
not currently enrolled. From the early 1970s into the late
1980s, dropout rates declined and the gap between whites and
blacks narrowed, but since 1990 both dropout rates and differences
between whites and blacks have remained fairly constant. Hispanics
continued to have the highest dropout rate.
November
30, 2001, No. 42 POLICY CHALLENGES
IN THE ARTS & CULTURE Art, Culture and the National Agenda is a multi-stage project on national policy challenges in the arts and culture. Designed to highlight policy options for Congress and the President, Art, Culture and the National Agenda also seeks to establish the vocabulary for a continuing national dialogue about the value of creativity and cultural heritage in our individual and collective lives. http://www.culturalpolicy.org/ WELFARE REFORM
INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE The debate
over reauthorizing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) will begin in earnest when Congress
convenes for the second session of the 107th Congress in January
2002. Funding must be reauthorized by October 2002. Some of
the issues to be debated will include funding levels; policies
on sanctions, exemptions, and time limits; child care and child
support funding and program design; job training and other
work supports; the role of Food Stamps and Medicaid and the
effects of reform on these programs; supports for immigrants;
and marriage and out-of-wedlock childbearing. One final issue
likely to arise is whether lowering poverty should become a
goal of welfare reform programs. The results of the debate
will likely to shape the direction of welfare reform for the
remainder of the decade. (Joint Center for Poverty Research). STATE BY
STATE; HEALTH FACTS ONLINE State Health
Facts Online. This new resource contains the latest state-level
data on demographics, health, and health policy, including
health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation.
(Kaiser Family Foundation)
December 2001 Return to Archives Table of Contents December
3, 2001, No. 43 BALANCING
ACT OF ADULT LIFE Life
in the 21st century seems more complex than ever, as adults
cope with the demands of multiple roles, the stresses of a
fluid workplace, and the pressures of child and elder care.
Causes include technological advances; the changing nature
of work, workplaces, and working relationships; international
economic competition; the changing demographics of workers,
families, and communities; and longer life spans, among others.
These subjects comprise what Kegan (2000) calls "the hidden
curriculum of adult life" ; in this curriculum, adult roles-parenting,
partnering, working, and living in an increasingly diverse
society-are "courses" in which we are enrolled. This ERIC Digest
describes a selection of adult education approaches to helping
individuals negotiate the curriculum of life challenges. E-LITERACY
The
December issue of e-literacy, the National Institute For Literacy's
monthly electronic newsletter, is now online. Articles include:
"Equipped for the Future" tools now available in Spanish--http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/collections/eff/eff_masters.html--
NIFL and HEAD START collaborate on family literacy; NIFL assists
American Foundation for the Blind in national training program. DIVERSITY
AND STATE JUSTICE COMMUNITIES Legal
Service Corporation mission: promote equal access to the system
of justice and improve opportunities for low-income people
throughout the United States by making grants for the provision
of high- quality civil legal assistance to those who would
be otherwise unable to afford legal counsel. New Report: State
justice communities examine priorities given changing demographics
(census), new technology, emerging legal needs, commonalties
among diverse communities, and severely marginalized client
populations. Programs create staff positions charged with working
with special client populations and staff members are encouraged
to collaborate with the community to and apply bold strategies
in addressing community problems. State justice communities
examine leadership within a multicultural framework and use
the results in staff and leadership training.(pdf).
December
5, 2001, No. 44 MENTALLY
ILL AND HOMELESS The National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness is the only national center specifically focused on the effective organization and delivery of services for people who are homeless and have serious mental illnesses. The Resource Center's activities enable the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) to facilitate service systems change through field-based knowledge development, synthesis, exchange, and adoption of effective practices. http://www.nrchmi.com/ ADVOCATES'
GUIDE TO HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT POLICY The
National Low Income Housing Coalition publishes The Advocates'
Guide each year to supply low income housing advocates with
knowledge about the full range of federal housing and community
development issues and to equip you with the latest information
about federal housing and community development policy. CIVIC
DIALOGUE AND THE ARTS Animating
Democracy Initiative (ADI) is a four-year programmatic initiative
of Americans for the Arts' Institute for Community Development
and the Arts. ADI seeks to foster artistic activity that encourages
civic dialogue on important contemporary issues. The Lab identifies
and selects worthy arts-based civic dialogue projects and strengthens
them through financial support and connections to other resources.
Projects offer key opportunities to support the creation, presentation,
and/or exhibition of new work or enduring work of the past
that may advance: artistic practice in relation to civic dialogue;
experimentation and innovation in approaches to dialogue; and/or
strategies for building organizational capacity to successfully
support arts-based civic dialogue work. Individually and collectively
they offer opportunity to study and deepen field knowledge
of principles and best practices of arts-based civic dialogue
work.
December
7, 2001, No. 45 STRENGTHENING
OUR COMMUNITIES Center
for Arts and Culture report discusses crucial ways in which
America's communities can be identified with, and supported
and enhanced by, their art and culture. Art and culture are
intrinsic to nations and to communities within nations. The
term "art and culture" encompasses all creative expressions
- in support of, or in opposition to, a nation's or a community's
flavor and essence, that ally it with and distinguish it from
other nations or communities - that can be read, heard, viewed,
and/or participated in. SUCCESSFUL
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT Leaders and teachers at low-performing schools must move beyond the idea that their students can't achieve at high levels. These leaders need to study how things are done at high-performing schools and to emulate some of the successful strategies as they plan improvement at their schools. If there are differences between the educational experiences of students at the high-performing schools and students at the low- performing schools, these differences must be targeted for change. SREB report. http://www.sreb.org/main/Publications/PressRel/news1.asp?Code=1056 AGENDA
FOR ACTION Provides
insight to the world of our non-profit colleagues. An Urban
Institute report on out-come management for non-profit organizations.
The Agenda for Action seeks to encourage nonprofit organizations
to focus their management practices and decisions on the results
they intend to achieve for their participants. This focus goes
beyond just measuring the results to actually using the results
to increase the effectiveness of their services and improve
their service outcomes.
December
10, 2001, No. 46 SOCIAL
& DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ACROSS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE |