Provides details of a mock town meeting (using the warrant prepared for the town's real town meeting) which was planned and conducted by ninth grade students. Includes a project evaluation. (PRA)

Project Achieve, New York City's new dropout prevention program, might benefit from the failures of the city's earlier Dropout Prevention Initiative. Project Achieve will organize all ninth and tenth grade students into houses, integrate support and academic staff, and achieve maximum personnel continuity throughout a student's high school career.…

Reports on a approach to teaching the sociology of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by combining coursework with weekly volunteer work in an AIDS agency. Concludes with a discussion of the benefits of experiential learning and five guidelines for establishing similar community service programs. (CFR)

Offers a friendly critique of the efforts of the Parent-Teacher Action Research Project conducted by eight member schools of the League of Parents Reaching Out. Concludes that parent-teacher action research can empower parents, and suggests ways to improve the action research parent involvement process. (SLD)

Active Living is a unique Canadian approach in which physical activity is valued and integrated into daily life. Active Living will have an increasing impact on the health, physical education, and recreation fields. The article describes the development of Active Living, its effects on Canadian society, and current initiatives. (SM)

Several brief articles examine how library and information workers in Australia, along with community historians, are meeting the challenge of finding, cataloging, preserving, and communicating local history to their clients and the world beyond. Describes cooperative initiatives by state, local, and regional libraries; discusses how technology…

Describes the literacy approach to learning at Cherry Valley Elementary School in Polson, Montana. Strategies include developmentally appropriate practices, child-centered activities, staff leadership teams, individualized reading enrichment, community partnerships, extensive family involvement, and staff development. Sidebar details the…

Explains how one small-town school district encouraged community residents to support a costly new school-bond issue by building a multimedia-focused educational facility that served both students and the community. Discusses how technology proved to be the key in the school being built, and the community's involvement. (GR)

Elk City, Idaho, instituted an arts program in its small K-10 school with grant and community funding. An arts facilitator organized a visiting-artists program and trained teachers to recognize different learning styles and integrate art, literature, and music into the curriculum. Self-esteem and test scores have risen, and the community is…

The Language Academy initiative enabled the San Francisco Unified School District to transform remedial, compliance-based programs for English language learners into standards-based language-learning programs for all students. Administrators relied on stakeholder involvement, coherent policy, and quality program design to achieve their goal of…

A review of eight Australian projects and 13 studies involving 289 individuals with mental retardation found that community-based placements were associated with increased adaptive behavior, greater community participation, and improved contact with family and friends. There was little or no change in problem behavior, health, or mortality.…

This survey reviews types of environmental monitoring as well as the general aims of the organizations who sponsor volunteer monitoring programs for school and community groups. These programs address educators' interest in involving students in authentic science experiences and provide interdisciplinary activities that link schools and…

Presents the first year's methods and initial findings from Project Destiny, a three-year study that attempts to enhance the knowledge and strategies of professionals, parents, and community teams for working with middle school students having emotional or behavioral disorders. Initial findings and analysis of those findings are presented. (KW)

Five years of research on collaborative practices have led the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning to formulate 10 policy recommendations for a comprehensive program of school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic achievement and social success of all students. (SLD)

Our national focus on school improvement and its relationship to employment is too narrow for American Indian education. School reform strategies must address the linguistic and sociocultural uniqueness of American Indian learners. Native communities and tribes must partner with schools, guiding education from an Indian perspective and creating a…