Book excerpt: Here is the only book that gives you a comparison of model frameworks and a critique of multiple perspectives. Community Practice: Conceptual Models (along with its companion volume, Community Practice: Models in Action) illustrates the diverse ways that community practice is conceived and delineates both the central and subtle differences among models to guide community assessment, action planning, and practice. By knitting together the complex ideas from the social sciences and community practice, this book shows how to combine these ideas to improve teaching, practice, analysis, and research for social work faculty; social work students; practitioners in community work, administration, and social planning; and faculty of related disciplines. The scope of Community Practice: Conceptual Models is broad, providing the first historical report on model development and implementation since 1965. Its chapters present diverse views on community practice approaches and provide the compilation, critique, and analysis of current models --while illustrating how these approaches developed over time. Included is Rothman’s long-awaited revision and elaboration of his 1970s classic, three models conceptual framework. Other vital topics you learn about include: collaborative community development social planning, reform movements, and social action ecological theory in community practice a feminist response and critique to Rothman’s approaches to community intervention a comparison of community practice in the U.S. and U.K., with an emphasis on nonracist practice and community-based service development Community Practice: Conceptual Models offers challenges and indicates directions for practice, theory elaboration, testing, and research and shows community practice in relation to characteristics such as goals and desired outcomes, change strategies, targets of change, primary constituencies, and focus or scope of concern. This book provides the strongest perspectives on community practice to help you improve your practice, assessments, action plans, and research.