The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the process of implementing an elementary school-based action team dedicated to increasing physical activity and healthy living opportunities for students. To facilitate this intervention, Epstein and colleagues' (2002) partnership framework, coupled with action research principles, was used to create partnerships between the school, home, and community. The results suggest that an action team based on Epstein and colleagues' guidelines may be suitable for creating opportunities for healthy and active living in an elementary school setting. In particular, families, students, teachers, and administration believed that the action team initiatives added to the school environment, school spirit, and value of the family as an essential component in the school. Likewise, the action team members felt that the health and wellness committee they represented was a valued component in the school culture that could be further developed and improved on in future years.

No description available.

While school-community partnership is highly encouraged in South Africa, schools and their communities seem reluctant to take up this opportunity to develop themselves and in the process improve learner attainment. This qualitative study located in the interpretivist paradigm adopts a case study research design that utilises semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis to collect data. This study explores the nature of school-community partnership seeking to understand what makes school-community partnership work and how the said partnership sustains itself. The evidence is drawn from a study of one school-community partnership in deep rural KwaZulu-Natal. From inception, the democratic government of South Africa indicated that the business of running education was not the preserve of government- it took place at the confluence of the school governing body and the government. Despite an enabling legislative framework, most school-community partnerships in South Africa do not seem to be succeeding. However, there appears to be some success ‘stories’ in this regard. The study focuses on one such ‘story’. There does not seem to be sufficient knowledge about what makes school-community partnership successful. Such knowledge is necessary if more school-community partnerships are to add value to the communities in question. This study therefore seeks to address, in a small way, the question: What makes school-community partnership work and how does it sustain itself? The study seeks to understand the findings by utilising a two-pronged theoretical framework, namely, Epstein’s (1995) spheres of influence and the asset- based approach to organisation development. The study’s findings suggest that action as opposed to rhetoric forms one of the important ingredients of this partnership. Such action is driven by visionary leadership. Through action, both the school and community enjoy tangible benefits such as the generation of employment and growing crops for food. A broad-based community asset mapping has harnessed many ‘players’ thereby allowing a multi-faceted partnership to unfold. Learner attainment has been positively impacted by these interactions. This inward looking, inclusive process in turn sustains the school-community partnership. The study recommended that plans be put in place to ensure continuity after the current crop of visionary leaders departs. A systems based approach was suggested as an interim measure. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

The study examined whether Indiana school sites having Community Education programs exhibited Community Education elements as defined by the State Plan for Indiana Community Education 1989 - 1993. Ten core elements of Community Education (collaboration, partnerships, use of volunteers, citizen involvement, lifelong learning, community resources, parental involvement, facilities usage, systematic planning, and leadership) were studied.Five research questions were developed to describe the use of Community Education elements in Indiana schools. Names and addresses of sites were obtained from school superintendents, and questionnaires designed to report the presence of the ten core elements of Community Education were sent to the sites. A weighted index was developed to measure the elements and was used to provide a score for amounts of core element activity at each site. This allowed the sites to be ranked with higher scores representing more extensive use of Community Education elements.At least 113 school sites are making efforts to implement the Community Education elements. Sites exhibiting the greatest number of the Community Education elements were located in high schools or career/vocational centers in small towns or medium-sized cities, for the most part. The majority had part-time or full-time coordinators. Sites exhibiting the fewest elements tended to be located in elementary schools in small towns or rural areas; none were in urban or suburban areas, and the majority had no coordinator.In terms of the ten core elements, most sites did not collaborate or have formal partnerships with community organizations. Most sites also did not have community councils. Less than half had any formal citizen involvement in planning and decision-making. Most sites did not consistently use systematic planning processes to make program decisions.School facilities were used for Community Education purposes during non-school hours by over 80% of the respondents. Activities most frequently provided by the sites were personal enrichment courses, high school completion/GED preparation, adult basic skills classes, and recreation. Senior citizens were the most frequently served group by the sites. About one-third of the sites provided programs for illiterate adults. The study suggests that Community Education at Indiana school sites has a much stronger program orientation than a process orientation. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purposes of the study were: first, to identify what personnel in community agencies providing internships judge they contribute to a student intern's learning about (a) the role of the agency in the culture: (b) his competency to perform specific services; (c) his understanding of his cultural heritage; and second, to identify how community agencies are influenced as they provide experiences for student interns. Data were collected by interviewing and analyzed by a descriptive-survey design.FindingsCommunity agency personnel judged their agencies contributed to students' understandings of roles of thecommunity agencies in the culture by providing:orientation sessions, on-the-job training, and opportunities to observe a variety of adult, professional, and organizational contacts direct involvements in the agencies' functionsCommunity agency personnel judged the agencies contributed to students' competencies to perform specific services by: - assuming some of the agencies' responsibilities - acquiring specific personal qualities and knowledge - working in students' interest areasCommunity agency personnel judged the agencies contributed to students' understandings of their cultural heritages by providing opportunities for students to associate and communicate with professionals. Community agency personnel judged the agencies did not accommodate and/or build upon cultural/ethnic differences of students; neither did they plan for students to learn more about themselves while in agenciesCommunity agency personnel judged the agencies were influenced as they provided experiences for student interns by receiving services, improving public services, and improving employees' moraleConclusions Community agency personnel judge they contribute importantly to students learning while the students fulfill internship responsibilities in agenciesCommunity agency personnel judge the cooperating agencies are influenced positively but to a limited extent as they provide experiences for student interns

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Hawaii, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 355-356) / Photocopy. / xiii, 356 leaves 28 cm

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2005. / Adviser: Richard M. Lerner. Submitted to the Dept. of Child Development. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-206). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Social and Cultural Studies, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 373-402).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Murdoch University, 2003. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Arts. Bibliography: leaves 96-99.