A Guide to School and Community Action.

This booklet is a school and community action guide designed to assist local communities in the identification of needs, exploration of alternatives, and implementation and evaluation programs to address issues affecting children and youth. The action guide is presented as a four-step process of: (1) conducting a needs assessment; (2) organizing the community; (3) developing an action plan; and (4) implementing and evaluating the plan. The materials are presented in a workbook format, with checklists and spaces for recording information. Appendix A provides an example of the implementation process, i.e., showing how a community group might conduct a needs assessment in response to the problem of early teenage pregnancy. Appendix B considers the committee approach to problem solving and discusses committee size, selection, and operation, along with the chairman's role and suggestions for agendas, minute-taking, and reporting. The final appendix provides a practical guide for coalition building. (Author/NRB)