The AIM process is a strategic planning process for school districts to create Comprehensive Health and Wellness Plans (CHWPs) aligned with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. The purpose of this study is to describe results of this process as it was implemented with 21 rural school districts. An 81-item survey was completed by…

This study presents a unique educational partnership combining the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools Program with a concentrated iteration of civic education via iEngage Action Civics in order to provide an opportunity for a localized curriculum that featured specificity to the urban community demographic. Participants were asked to…

Because researchers know so much more about the brain and development than they did when the 20th-century U.S. education system was designed, this knowledge can now be used to design a system in which all individuals are able to take advantage of high-quality opportunities for transformative learning and development. This playbook suggests a set…

U.S. education has experienced many waves of reform in responding to rapid changes in knowledge, technologies, and the economy. It is now widely accepted that, to succeed in the future, all young people must have the opportunity to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication competencies--often referred to as…

The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education adopts final requirements for the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program, authorized under section 1003(g) of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). These final requirements make changes to the current SIG program requirements and implement…

Research shows that an authentically engaged community improves schools--not just by participating in school events, but also by helping to shape reform. Family and community engagement is a proven strategy for strengthening schools. There is also ample evidence that schools serving large populations of students of color and students living in…

Current community-engagement models, which relegate the public's role to insignificant activities, play into special-interest groups' hands. One new approach creates alternative forms of community forums to encourage public deliberation. Forums frame issues to invite deliberation; allow participants to deliberate, not debate issues; and provide…

Traditionally, studies of educational innovations have based evaluations on accomplishment of officially-stated ends. This study, however, explores alternative theoretical frameworks for evaluation. Project Redesign took place in an upper-middle-class suburb with the pseudonym "Meadow City." The project was funded by the National Institute of…

Strategic planning is a rational, private-sector planning model that results in a document outlining the "ideal vision" for the individual, organization, and society. Public schools gained familiarity with strategic planning through the American Association of School Administrators, who sponsor the activity as a combination of rational…

Both comprehensive and long-range educational planning are discussed in this paper. Comprehensive planning begins with the identification of the district's mission. This mission generates a set of continuing objectives that aim toward the completion of specific end-dated objectives. The comprehensive plan must take into account the educational…

This publication discusses a school evaluation model developed by the Center for New Schools (CNS) for use in evaluating Cleveland's New School. Section 1 describes three key principles that underlie the CNS model and discusses the rationale behind each of those principles. The three principles include (1) facilitating community participation in…

This monograph presents specific guidelines for use by school administrators in developing educational consensus in a school and with a community. The authors describe their success in identifying priorities and achieving objectives by using an "annual school plan," which focuses on specific, short-range objectives that can be realized…

This article presents an experimental community-based prevention planning model which was established to solicit involvement of adults and youth from high risk communities in an effort to prevent substance abuse through provision of positive outreach activities. The model's components, methodology, and preliminary findings are described. (IAH)

Shows applications of the Talent Identification and Development in Education (TIDE) model in two suburban Midwestern school districts. In both large and small districts, TIDE changes the way school communities view gifted and talented education. A broader understanding emerges that recognizes nurturing of strengths, interests, and talents in every…

This talk has been prepared as a model for presenters when seeking the support and involvement of organizations and volunteers for the California Search and Serve program. The paper has been designed to permit easy additions and changes for localization and for meeting the specific requirements of the audience. In its present form, the talk is…