A city in southern California is showing how residents and local government managers can forge new relation-ships and work together to meet the needs of a once neglected area of the city. How these issues are resolved may not always please everyone, but a productive dialogue has been established.
A literacy initiative in Roanoke, Virginia, combines the efforts of local libraries, public schools, police, the housing authority and dozens of nonprofits in a community-wide campaign to get more kids reading proficiently. Available for free download.
How public housing authorities are joining the campaign to get more children reading proficiently by the end of third grade. This article is only available in print. Become a member to get access to the full quarterly journal.
Taking a cue from corporate America and higher education, mayors and city managers are finding new ways of increasing employee diversity and adopting equitable policies to better reflect and serve their communities.
When Scott Nadeau was hired in 2008 as the Columbia Heights police chief, he brought a new perspective to the community that borders northeast Minneapolis. His ideas had been shaped through his work as a beat officer in another Minneapolis suburb and his experience as a big brother for the Big Brother, Big Sister program.
Instead of fighting discrete battles, Communities for a Better Environment, a California environmental justice organization, declared war against the pollution that plagues neighborhoods where people of color and poor people live. As part of that war declaration, the group became a part of a coalition to fight environmental racism. The strategy focused on executing a ground game—block by block, finding truth and building alliances.
