Oceti Sakowin means "Seven Council Fires" and refers collectively to the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people. Seven standards, make up the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards (OSEUS), developed to convey the rich history of the Oceti Sakowin in South Dakota, crucial ideas of culture and traditions, and descriptions of…

Few public schools in Massachusetts offer a sex-positive, inclusive sexuality education curriculum at the elementary school level. One Massachusetts public elementary school identified the need for such a program that addresses communication, sexuality, gender, and consent. The LETS! Teach, Affirm, Learn, Know (T.A.L.K.) curriculum was developed,…

Background: Local control has historically been a prominent principle in education policymaking and governance. Culminating with the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), however, the politics of education have been nationalized to an unprecedented degree, and local control has all but disappeared as a principle framing education policymaking.…

In the past several decades, Boston has been a proving ground for new strategies such as mayoral control, charter schools, and expanded access to early childhood education. Located in a state known for rigorous standards and accountability, Boston Public Schools (BPS) has consistently ranked among the top-performing large public school districts…

This bulletin describes the success of a partnership between the National Training and Dissemination Program (NTDP) and the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (Tennessee). Beginning in October, 1992, the NTDP provided Nashville with technical, staff, and financial assistance as well as law-related education (LRE) resources. Nashville schools…

The role of the public has generally been dismissed as a significant factor influencing the process of curriculum formation in large urban school districts. This paper presents an indepth case study focusing on the role of the public in curriculum formation in one school district over a 21-year period during portions of the tenure of 3…

Describes the establishment of two middle schools in Alachua County, Florida, and the processes involved thus far, as an abbreviated case study in middle school development. (Author)

Explaining how to design a teaching unit based on experiential learning, this article provides a framework for understanding experiential thought and describes an eight-week environmental unit used in New Hampshire, suggesting strategies for implementing a similar community-based curriculum within the public schools. (SB)

School-based early childhood centers are high-quality programs using approaches to instruction based on recognized principles of child development and learning for children 3 to 8 years old. The centers are characterized by the active involvement of parents and the community and by a commitment to smooth transitions from home to school and through…

Portal schools, designed to bridge the gap between pre- and in-service education, introduce new curriculums into schools by concentrating the resources of and by encouraging shared responsibilities among universities, public school systems, and communities. As a public school that facilitates change, dependent on each school's needs and resources,…

The Boston (Massachusetts) Public Schools present a comprehensive plan designed to bring all students to an acceptable level of mastery to meet state requirements or their own new higher standards. For the first time in decades, all the elements of school reform are in place, with public and administrative support. The primary goal of the Boston…

This document discusses the theory and philosophy of the Portal School strategy. According to the author, that strategy is a process for making an environment responsive to change; a way of providing a setting in which site, specific and locally determined programs, and theories can be adapted, implemented, and diffused; and a method for closing…

The development of a multicultural center at Prospect Middle School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a response to the increase of racism and bigotry. Academic performance for both African-American and white students has improved significantly, and overall suspension rates have dropped by nearly 50 percent. (MLF)

Effective strategies for developing early childhood centers in public schools are discussed in this paper, which draws from a research-based literature search and intensive case studies of six Northwest sites. The sites represent a range of rural, suburban, and urban programs; large and small schools; and a variety of program features. The sites…

This proposal outlines the objectives and functions of a citizens committee for the formulation of new programs and new and improved facilities for the Oakland Public Schools. The task of the committee will be to assist the Oakland Board of Education in defining goals and setting educational priorities for the years ahead, the plan being envisaged…