This perspective paper describes the strategic development of evaluation and organizational learning programs focused on building core knowledge and skills at a university with high research activity. New program development allows academic leaders to introduce relevant and cutting-edge knowledge to students. Nevertheless, the program development…

Community Partnership Schools™ are designed to serve as a positive resource center in their community, staffed with dedicated professionals committed to student success and community well-being (Coalition for Community Schools, n.d.; Ellis, 2016). Following the education model created at the University of Central Florida (UCF), the first…

Akins High School is the newest and second largest high school in the Austin Independent School District in Austin, Texas. This report describes how the school has used small learning communities and the "HSTW" framework of Key Practices to improve the school culture, personalize the learning environment, improve student achievement and…

Establishing effective transition programs for students entering high school is an ongoing process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore best practices transition programs employ to aid student's success. The participants in this study were six administrators chosen from a population of administrators at 60 central Indiana high…

While research on program effectiveness offers ample evidence that afterschool programs can benefit young people in a variety of ways, this same body of research demonstrates that not all programs are equally effective (Granger, 2008). Some programs show positive results in many or all major outcome categories. Other programs are associated with…

Unlike classical experimental evaluation techniques, this evaluation design is intended to accommodate maximum flexibility and a dual purpose: to learn from the program under scrutiny and to help the program in its efforts. The program being evaluated here is the PUSH for Excellence (PUSH-EXCEL) Program whose activities focus on promoting an…

Reorganization was undertaken by the Oakland Unified School District in an effort to improve student achievement. To facilitate the Instructional Strategy Plan, the Instructional Strategy Council was formed which consisted of persons representing business, labor, community, and school employee organizations. Technical Task Teams were established…

Describes the Community Reading Month (CRM) initiative in Iowa City, Iowa; its goals are to promote the value of reading and to build a sense of community. Topics include the development of CRM, increased reading scores of Iowa City's elementary school students, activities for people of all ages, and planning and evaluation. (AEF)

A new Chapter 1 law, P.L. 100-297, was passed in 1988. Chapter 1 schools must examine the program operated during the previous school year. Schools that fail to demonstrate overall achievement gains must develop a Program Improvement Plan (PIP), a document describing how the Chapter 1 program in that school will be modified. This guide provides a…

This paper describes the model and process developed by the Connecticut education department to assist schools in improving their effectiveness. The report offers an operational definition of the term "effectiveness" and summarizes the research that provides the conceptual base for the model. The characteristics selected from this…

The Rainbow Connection Society at a community elementary magnet school in Lynn (Massachusetts) attempts to establish a schoolwide version of the best aspects of U.S. society in a school setting. A "microsociety" theme forms the hub of six educational strands and all facets of school programming. (SLD)

A new Unesco project seeks to increase the capacity of developing countries to strengthen primary school academic performance by improving children's nutrition and health status. The first technical meeting of the new project took place in Stockholm, Sweden, in April 1989. Three working groups were formed which focused on assessment, intervention,…

Five years of research on collaborative practices have led the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning to formulate 10 policy recommendations for a comprehensive program of school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic achievement and social success of all students. (SLD)

High attrition rate and under representation of educationally disadvantaged youth in vocational education programs were the policy issues behind the development and piloting of the Consolidated Services Demonstration Project in seven California high schools. The three-year project sought to integrate the separated programs for compensatory,…

Bringing together parents, teachers, and researchers, this conference was intended to provide a climate in which participants could examine their own needs and develop their own action plans for the development and implementation of parent and community participation in schools. The goals of the conference were to provide descriptions of proven…