Education: How Can Schools and Communities Work Together to Meet the Challenge? A Guide for Involving Community Members in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving.

This guide is designed as a tool to help members of the education sector involve community members in discussions in their community. The first half of the guide presents basic material for conducting a four- to seven-session discussion program based on the study circle model. Materials dealing with the following discussion topics are included: how schools affect communities and community members' lives; what community members want graduates to know and be able to do; how schools can meet every students' needs, make school safer, deal with racial and ethnic diversity, and provide high quality education with limited resources; and what community members can do to improve high quality education with limited resources; and what community members can do to improve education. The next section presents basic "how to" materials on the following aspects of the study circle process: the structure, goals, and operation of study circles; organizing and leading study circles on education; and suggestions for participants. Concluding the guide is a listing of 13 organizations, 39 publications, and 7 videos dealing with community involvement in improving education, as well as the sources of the 5 "schools that work" stories included in the preceding section. (ERIC)