An effective response to a school, campus, or community emergency requires a thoughtful and coordinated interagency plan to preserve and protect life, as those with both experience and expertise can confirm. Schools and institutions of higher education (IHEs) can prepare for these emergencies by developing an emergency operations plan (EOP).…

The arts disciplines (visual arts, music, theatre, and dance) merit and require formal study. Policy makers should support studies in the arts as core disciplines, as specified in the "Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)," the federal legislation that sets policy and appropriations for public education. The arts merit and…

This report, coupled with current nationwide interest in encouraging schools to adopt comprehensive reform strategies or programs, urgently communicates the need for school improvement. Many schools, which are not supported by adequate funding, continuous professional-development programs, and active parent involvement, are the ones struggling to…

This study was commissioned in order to understand better how partnerships between the community and the schools work. Over 250 partnerships in arts education were convened in six city-wide institutes and three, multi-state, regional institutes to examine what contributes to and what blocks successful community and school partnerships on behalf of…

This report is the result of the First Annual Forum of the National Institute for Science Education (NISE) held in Rosslyn, Virginia, on March 18-19, 1997. The purposes of the forum were to make relevant professional audiences aware of NISE work and, just as importantly, to gain those audiences' perspectives on and participation in NISE work.…

Despite the reports of violence in schools, the vast majority of America's schools are safe places. Nevertheless, students, teachers, and parents have real fears about school crime and violence problems. This report is a guide to combat these fears and problems. The report presents an updated description of the nature and extent of crime and…

Defends the appropriateness of tobacco-free school policies as an effective tool toward ensuring that young people develop into healthy and intellectually strong adults, and demonstrates how such a project can be introduced into a school district. (SM)

Guidelines that will help individual communities reach the sixth National Education Goal are provided in this document. The goal states that by the year 2000, every American school will be free of drugs and violence and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning. Five stages in achieving safe and drug-free schools are outlined: (1)…

Operation Rescue is a teacher-initiated and -managed early intervention program to identify and help potential dropouts. The program relies upon establishing one-to-one friendships between at-risk children and volunteers. Cooperation with community groups promotes the goal of "local groups solving local problems." Operation Rescue…

Helping school crime victims past their indignation and sense of vulnerability has presented New York school officials a challenge tantamount to crime prevention. Discussed are effects of victimization as well as social support, effective help, and support programs for victims. (SI)

Dynamic organizations are characterized by a compelling vision that focuses on results and employee commitment to growth. Over a period of 3 years an attempt was made to identify what it would take to create and maintain a dynamic living organization that has the ability to learn and grow on its own. Research was conducted in visits to…

Examples and sources of information about public service alliances between businesses and school systems that also serve the private sector's self-interests. (MLF)

The forces of democratization of centralized governments and institutions and the pursuit of companies to deliver customer-defined quality in their goods and services requires better schools to achieve its goals. This book provides a plan for using a democratic and quality-driven process to build high-quality schools, i.e., applying private-sector…

The Lancaster (PA) school district is working with the Chamber of Commerce and industry to bring resource persons into classrooms and to provide staff for adult career retraining. Program objectives include identifying areas for school/community interaction and mutual gain. Partnership benefits are shared among business, community and schools: to…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Whole Schooling Research Project, a collaborative, qualitative study of inclusive education and its relationship with exemplary teaching and schooling practices in 16 schools in Michigan and Wisconsin from 1998 through 2002. The study focused on the application of five principles of…