February is a natural time to teach students that love involves more than hearts and candy--it also means giving of oneself. According to Terri Kennamer, a third-grade teacher at West Elementary School in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, it is the responsibility of educators to help students recognize that they are citizens of the world. Children have…

Asserts that teachers can influence the direction of American education. Urges teachers to establish educational forums within school districts and to exert political pressure for educational change. (RH)

The residents of Toyohashi, Japan, believe that art should be a community project. Once a year, for two days, the city's largest park becomes a fantasy land created by the children of Toyohashi. (Author)

The Exemplary Program in Career Development, now in its second year in the elementary schools of Bismarck, builds a sequence of significant tasks that are incorporated into the regular curriculum at each grade level. (RB)

An elementary school pilot career program that includes evaluation of self-characteristics, exploration of broad occupational areas, introduction to the economic and social values of work, and introduction to sociological and psychological meanings of work. (RB)

Discusses the development of an environmental studies center, which provides opportunities for students to learn about all aspects of the environment. (RK)

Lists Project EXCEL's 10 Commandments for Schools and presents an interview with Jesse Jackson in which he discusses why and how principles for promoting excellence should be applied in elementary schools. (JMB)

A World of Work pilot program for sixth graders, that enables children to see and talk with persons in various fields of work so that they can see that choosing a career means choosing a life-style. (RB)

Discusses the attempt to provide youngsters in inner-city schools with the kinds of experiences which permit the exploration of future roles without premature commitments, and to help them make decisions with optimism and self-knowledge. (RB)

How a new concept in education-career development, or career exploration-may provide a basis for redirecting school experiences to make them meaningful, relevant, and human. (Author)

An inner city school solved its attendance problem by developing special attendance teams that helped promote plans of positive action to prevent children from becoming chronic absentees and potential dropouts. (Author/RK)

School-community partnership programs can help teachers reach children in the crucial years from birth to 4, thereby preventing reading difficulties and raising future test scores. Many organizations help families in starting their children on the road to lifetime reading by distributing free books and pamphlets on reading aloud to children. (SM)

Twenty ideas to motivate reluctant young readers in kindergarten and elementary school classrooms are presented. The ideas include reading contests, prizes, classroom decor, and community involvement. (PP)