Community Power and Social Change: A Case for Social Action with Implications for Occupational Education

In times of social change, the major institutions of a community undergo sometimes drastic modifications, even restructuring. Institutions such as education, government, and the family go through many interim stages before reaching a static point. If a pattern of these changes can be established, or if a cause and effect relationship can be determined, the benefits to the community can be heightened. The purpose of this report is to delineate the characteristics of community power structures within a changing community in order to help community leaders expedite programs during those periods of social change. The report identifies the community power figures in Central City and determines the characteristics common to these people. Social problems and community needs are analyzed comparing the views of the identified power figures and a sample of the community at large. There is also a consideration of the characteristics of community power structures that tend to inhibit or facilitate changes in occupational education and of implications for social action in relation to occupational education. The report concludes that a core of community power should be developed to attain the goals of occupational education, within the broader goals of the community. (Author)