Making Connections was the Annie E. Casey Foundation's signature place-based, community-change initiative of the 2000s. It sought to build on previous work and launch an effort focused firmly on the framework of family strengthening. The Foundation started Making Connections in 22 places, focusing eventually on first 10, then seven sites. It…

In late 1999, philanthropist Susie Buffett wanted to make the smartest possible investment to improve public education in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She and her then-foundation president, Dan Pedersen, spoke with Superintendent John Mackiel regarding how he would choose to use private funds to enhance opportunities for Omaha's 46,000…

Father involvement enhances children's well-being. A growing body of research supports this conclusion, showing that children with involved fathers exhibit greater school readiness, increased cognitive development, higher levels of empathy, and other positive characteristics (Administration for Children and Families 2004a). Research also indicates…

Describes the grant-supported Read, Enjoy and Do (R.E.A.D.) program of the Park Forest (Illinois) Public Library intended to provide materials to help parents/caregivers make reading an enjoyable learning experience for children. Highlights the program's accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses. Analyzes changed or altered grant needs and…

The Special Education Parents Alliance created an employment project seeking jobs in the business community for special education graduates and other persons with disabilities. The project serves learning disabled, educable mentally handicapped, trainable mentally handicapped, and physically disabled persons in DuPage County and portions of west…

Illinois' state-funded preschool program, the Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children at Risk of Academic Failure, is serving almost 19,000 children in the 1989-90 period on an allocation of 48 million dollars, which was distributed to 184 projects in 353 school districts. The preschool projects serve children of 3-5 years, who are taught…

This report contains a summation of the data collected on the Fiscal Year 1973 Title I Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965 projects in the State of Illinois. The report covers many issues which are relevant to the Title I projects. Such issues are: participation of local educational agencies, program objectives, results of the instructional…

The first step in an improvement effort involves reflection and goal setting. By focusing inward and identifying needs, a person or a school can make great changes. This article discusses how a writing center can be a locus for change within a school. Most high school writing centers start because a few English teachers share a passion for…

This interdisciplinary inservice training project at the University of Illinois at Chicago was designed to improve early childhood occupational and physical therapy services by developing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating a comprehensive training model. The competency-based program was designed to address the developmental needs of…

This paper examines the role played by parents in their children's career decision-making process. Parents are identified as preeminent influences of adolescents' career decision making, a fact that has been largely unrecognized by career guidance personnel and school administrators, as evidenced by the lack of programs designed to enable parents…

The Learning with East Aurora Families (LEAF) Project was a 1-year family literacy program developed and implemented by Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois. It recruited 51 parents and other significant adults of 4- and 5-year-olds enrolled in at-risk programs. Each of the 4-week sessions were divided into 5 components: adult…

This publication incorporates information for developing the Learning with East Aurora Families (LEAF) family literacy program model as well as specific activity ideas for program components. It is divided into eight parts which include: (1) staff job descriptions; (2) early childhood curriculum; (3) adult basic education curriculum; (4) English…

This document, which was developed with input from 14 Illinois middle schools, is a comprehensive guide to planning and implementing career development activities in middle schools. The following are among the topics discussed: (1) background information (the rationale for and importance of career development; young adolescents' interests and…