Sets forth and examines the challenge of restoring health to society and its democratic institutions.

Every community wants to become a great place to live and work. The why is no mystery: We want to create a place our children and grandchildren will want to be. We also know the what: We need to attract investments, provide good jobs, and create lively downtowns where citizens will want to work, live, shop and play. What s usually missing is the how. In Building a Vibrant Community, Quint Studer addresses all three aspects, but mainly focuses on the last one. How can your community get from where it is now to where it wants to be?

Educating for citizenship was the original mission of American schools, but for decades that knowledge—also known as civics education—has been in decline, as schools have shifted focus to college and career, STEM, and raising reading and math scores. But over the last few years, spurred on by political polarization and a steep decline in public understanding, civics education is seeing a nation-wide resurgence, as school leaders, educators, and parents recognize the urgency of teaching young people how America works—especially young people who have been marginalized from the political system. But this isn’t your grandmother’s civics. The “new” civics has been updated and re-tooled for the phone-addicted, multi-cultural, globalized twenty-first century kid. From combatting “fake news” with fact checking in Silicon Valley, to reviving elementary school social studies in Nashville, to learning civic activism in Oklahoma City, journalist Holly Korbey documents the grassroots revival happening across the country. Along the way, she provides an essential guidebook for educators, school leaders and caregivers of all types who want to educate a new generation of engaged citizens at a critical time in American democracy.

This guide summarizes lessons learned by studying successful community-building initiatives in hundreds of neighborhoods across the U.S. It outlines what local communities can do to start their own journies down the path of asset-based development.

The new edition of the acclaimed guide to strategic decision-making in community planning, development, and collaboration Based on the results of more than a decade of research by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, Smart Communities provides directions for strategic decision-making and outlines the key strategies used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities. Outlining seven "leverage points" for decision-making used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities, this new Second Edition offers leaders from both the public and private sectors the tools they need to build a civic infrastructure and create a better future for all the community's citizens. Second Edition has been thoroughly updated with current knowledge and research Covers new developments from current design thinking and strategy literature to innovation and invention in communities Advises on how to create community readiness that will help avert problems before they begin All case vignettes have been revised to include more detailed information about the process and application of the seven leverage points Examples from communities around the country illustrate how these change agents' well-structured decision-making processes can be traced to their effective use of the seven key leverage points Smart Communities offers hope to those who are striving to improve their communities and addresses vital issues such as poverty, race relations, and children's health and welfare.