The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
Volume ll, Number 4, 1996
Issue Topic: Community-Based Initiatives
New & Noteworthy
This section features an annotated list of papers, organizations, initiatives, and other resources related to the issue's theme.
Brown, P. (1996). Comprehensive neighborhood based initiatives. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children. This article provides an overview of comprehensive neighborhood-based initiatives. Using specific examples to illustrate common structures, challenges, and characteristics of promising programs, the author also reviews the role of the evaluator in these initiatives, and addresses questions that surface during the evaluation process.
Bruner, C. (1996). Realizing a vision for children, families and neighborhoods: An alternative to other modest proposals. Des Moines, IA: National Center for Service Integration. This paper provides an overview of the well-being of children in the United States and the conditions contributing to their success. The author calls for more community-based, flexible, family-focused, asset-based, and comprehensive services.
Cohen, E., Ooms, T., & Hutchins, J. (1996). Comprehensive community-building initiatives: A strategy to strengthen family capital. Family Impact Seminar. Background briefing report and highlights of an FIS seminar (December 1, 1995). This paper describes the characteristics and causes of distressed communities, traces the history of policies and programs to revitalize communities, details new CBIs, and offers suggestions for building a stronger partnership between the community-building and family services fields.
U.S. Department of Justice. (1996, August). Communities: Mobilizing against crime/making partnerships work. National Institute of Justice Journal. Washington, DC: Author. This issue is devoted to the role of communities in responding to crime. The articles are organized into two categories: The first presents the perspectives of the communities themselves; the second offers the perspectives of various branches of the criminal justice system.
Galster, G. (Ed.). (1996). Reality and research: Social science and U.S. urban policy since 1960. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press. This book charts the 35-year evolution of American urban policy in nine issue areas. It is intended for undergraduate and introductory graduate courses on urban problems, applied social research, and public policy analysis. Informed citizens and policymakers may also find it of interest.
General Accounting Office. (1995, February). Community development: Comprehensive approaches address multiple needs but are challenging to implement. Washington, DC: Author. This report reviews the approaches taken by four community-based nonprofit organizations to improve conditions in distressed urban neighborhoods.
Kahn, A. J., & Kamerman, S. B. (Eds.). (1996). Children and their families in big cities: Strategies for service reform. New York: Cross-National Studies Research Program, Columbia University School of Social Work. This volume is a compilation of seminar presentations, including “Neighborhood-Based Strategies to Address Poverty-Related Social Problems: An Historical Perspective” by Robert Halpern and “Effects of Neighborhoods on Families and Children: Implications for Services” by Claudia Coulton.
National Institute on Out-of-School Time. (2001). Fact Sheet on school age children