Partnerships between schools and out-of-school organizations (museums, zoos, nature centers, etc.) have been shown to improve the educational experiences for both students and teachers. In this article, we report on the experiences we have documented as a nature center through our active involvement in school partnerships. Our partnerships with…

In recent reform efforts, school-community partnerships have been touted as a means for promoting student success (Decker, Decker, & Brown 2007; Epstein 2010) and meeting student needs (Hands 2010). Yet, despite any accolades, the motives and results of school-community partnerships are contested. Gary Anderson (1998) points out that…

Personal food system mapping is a practical means to engage community participants and educators in individualized and shared learning about food systems, decisions, and behaviors. Moreover, it is a useful approach for introducing the food system concept, which is somewhat abstract. We developed the approach to capture diversity of personal food…

Lately educators are hearing more about full-service community schools, which pair schools with other community resources in pursuit of the long-term goal of improving academic performance. (These full-service schools are differentiated from the community day schools that serve expelled students.) The focus on academics is what makes today's…

In a nation where 42 percent of children live in low-income families, too many schools face the challenge of teaching students burdened with unmet needs that pose obstacles to learning. Community schools that align schools and community resources are a promising strategy for improving student outcomes by providing wraparound services that meet the…

When the bell rings at the end of a school day, millions of children are left to their own devices while they wait for their families to return home at the end of the work day. Findings from a study conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, "America After 3PM," show that 15.1 million children are unsupervised when the school day ends. The…

A Los Angeles based grassroots organization, the Thursday Night Group, promotes the vision that the world can be different and that we all--adults and children--can do something to find solutions to the nuclear threat. How the group serves as a resource to elementary and secondary schools is described. (RM)

Suggestions on how community resources can be organized and made available for both formal education activities and residents of a community are provided. Six categories of community resource learning experiences are examined, consisting of study strips, resource persons, community services, community resource maps, community surveys, and camping…

The growing interest in creating relevant learning experiences for students has resulted in an increased emphasis on using the entire community as a teaching resource. Community resources can be defined as those locally available materials, persons, organizations or experiences that are useful and valuable for educational purposes. Community…

Article describes the summer colony built around a program of religion, culture, education, and recreation, the Institution on Chautauqua Lake at Chautauqua, New York. (Author)

Twenty-three exemplary art education programs in California school districts are identified and described. Selected on the basis of criteria stressing program management and commitment, these programs represent three categories: comprehensive multiart experiences, in-school programs, and shared community-school resources. The comprehensive…

A look at school training centers, which provide teachers, paraprofessionals, preservice individuals, administrators, and parents and community representatives an opportunity to upgrade skills related to their role in the school milieu. (Author)

A very successful artist-in-education program in which jazz musicians introduced elementary students in Augusta (Georgia) to jazz music is described. Students were involved in many activities, including instrumental improvisation, singing, reading staff notation, choreography, and composing jazz. (RM)

The San Francisco Opera Guild sponsors the Operatunities Program which introduces elementary and secondary students in California to opera. For example, each year the Scholar Opera visits 130 schools from San Francisco to San Jose, exposing approximately 50,000 youngsters to the music and drama of opera. (RM)

As a guide for administrators, teachers, and students during the bicentennial year, the handbook suggests themes and ideas intended to stimulate further thinking about the Bicentennial. The Heritage, Festival, and Horizons themes established by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration are described to provide direction for schools and…