Input needed for research assessment.

The Society of Park and Recreation Educators (SPRE), in partnership with the National Forum and the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration, has begun working on the challenge of creating pertinent and appropriate research about the value and benefits of parks and recreation in a format that will be accessible to professionals and citizens.

The NRPA Forum Research Task Force, under the leadership of Karla Henderson, a professor at North Carolina State University, is now requesting the input of every NRPA member in the assessment of what research is needed, along with identifying any research that is already available. The Task Force, with the technical expertise of the NRPA staff, has established nine discussion groups using the "eCommunities" function on the NRPA Web site where members can post their input. Those nine discussion groups are:

* Community Development and Recreation

* Diversity and Recreation Involvement

* Economic Impacts

* Health and Wellness

* Therapeutic Recreation

* Recreation and the Natural Environment

* Recreation and Public Policy

* Youth Development and Recreation Programs

* Miscellaneous

An effort is being made to collect comments and questions on any of these topics. To participate, members will need their NRPA membership number. Frequent visits are encouraged as the threads of discussion will evolve, stimulating additional postings.

The Task Force will compile the results and make a report to NRPA. Through members' efforts and the work of the Task Force, the goal of developing NRPA as a knowledge center for research helpful to the professional community and the public in general can be achieved.

To begin using eCommunities,

1. Visit www.nrpa.org, log in with your username (your five-digit membership ID number) and password (your last name),

2. Click on "My Page," then select "eCommunities."

3. From there, you'll want to select "NRPA Research Assessment" from the list of available eCommunities.

You'll notice nine possible discussion topics, reflective of the research interest areas put forth by the group. Click on the discussion topic that interests you, then, select either "Existing research" or "Needed research." Simply click on the 'Add New Reply" button at the bottom of the page, then use the template to format and submit your posting.

If you have questions or concerns about making entries, please contact Doug Vaira at [phone] or [e-mail].