School improvement might be initiated by state or district mandate, or it might be motivated by the concerns of school personnel. Teachers and administrators frequently enter the process with some idea of what needs to be reformed or improved, but issues can be overemphasized or overlooked if the process does not begin with a comprehensive needs…

Discusses two different strategies for incorporating home-school-community partnerships into the agenda for educational reform. The "gradual strategy" includes seven steps and the "bolder strategy" six steps. Includes references. (MD)

This guide helps leaders working with parents and the community learn about promising practices in parent and community involvement in school reform. By examining the efforts of seven contrasting groups working with parents nationwide, the guide depicts the many forms that parent and community involvement in schools can take, highlighting…

State governors laid out a five-year plan for education at the National Governor's Association (NGA) meeting. Their primary focus is the role that states should play in public education. Reviews the findings from "Time for Results" (a compendium of the N.G.A. task force recommendations). (MD)

This guide is intended to help parents understand standards and the reasoning behind the standards movement. The booklet is part of the "Council for Basic Education Standards for Excellence in Education" project, a multiyear effort to provide parents, educators, and the general public with a better understanding of how standards are used to…

Examines issues and concerns regarding standards-based reform. Argues that, if middle level educators remember the needs and characteristics of young adolescents and the components of developmentally responsive programs, they can resist the temptation to concentrate on raising test scores, and instead have assessment programs that complement the…

Reports such as those by the "Holmes Group" and the Carnegie panel are evidence that the educational reform movement has reached within the education profession. Outlines 10 recommendations for reform. These include giving more autonomy to schools that perform satisfactorily and having a larger percentage of the funds for education go…

Discusses school-based management, explaining what PTAs need to be prepared for discussions about restructuring through school-based management. The article discusses origin of governance, school-based management councils, decision making, and parent-community involvement. (SM)

An inevitable tension exists between what parents want for their own child and the educational opportunities that schools now provide for all children. This handbook shows parents and policymakers how to cooperatively improve schools for all children by explaining effective educational practices and suggesting educational policy reforms. Schools…

For educational reform to succeed it must rely upon state and local leadership. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett outlines 10 questions important for state leaders to consider in relation to the development of quality education (MD)

A resource document released by the National Association of State Boards of Education recommends standardizing the criteria for approving home instruction and shoring up progress reporting and evaluation procedures. These recommendations have implications for the ways local districts locate and monitor home instruction. (MLF)

Recounts the experiences of starting a new school designed, built, staffed, and programmed around the following beliefs: all students can be successful learners; all can learn at significantly high levels; research should inform the instructional process; and curriculum content must reflect high expectations for students, though instructional time…

Providing training for teachers and educators in home-school-community involvement is important for an obvious reason: schools don't operate in a vacuum. To be successful in the primary mission of educating the community's children, educators need to know a great deal about the community and the families from which the children come. The focus of…

The federal education act "No Child Left Behind" calls for accountability for school improvement. This brochure outlines how parents can determine the progress of their child's school, and where to go for additional information and/or services. The brochure answers the following questions: (1) How do I know if my child's school is in…

The Yale Child Study Center collaborated with the New Haven School System and initiated a school improvement plan that was successful in improving schools for low income, perdominantly minority children. It used principles from behavioral and social sciences to change the social systems under which the schools operated. (MD)