This report summarizes statewide data and individual school district performance for Alaska's 53 school districts and addresses how well the districts are meeting the goals of the Alaska Quality Schools Initiative. The report is divided into four sections that address the four components of the initiative: high student academic standards and…

Written by a team of graduate student teachers, this collection of papers focuses on the challenges of teaching at-risk students and the development of successful classroom strategies. The first chapter, "Kids in Need: The Teachers' Perspective," addresses Hispanic children in poverty, the effects of poverty on academic achievement, and…

A teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL) to adult migrant workers from Central America describes the evolution of her efforts to create a sense of community within the classroom and Latino center and to empower students to bring about social change in the long term. While students were pressuring the teacher to teach grammar, the teacher…

This book reviews the history of the University of Chicago Laboratory School established by John Dewey in light of the current resurgent interest in the ideas and work of this educator. Chapter 1 deals with two lessons: the social nature of learning and developmentally appropriate practice. Chapter 2 examines the laboratory school idea as…

This study assessed student perceptions of service at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane (Australia). Data were based on open-ended discussions with 48 undergraduate focus groups during which participants were asked what they perceived to be the good and bad aspects of university life, what they did to cope with obstacles, and how…

The Internet is a vast network of computers that connects people and information all over the world. Children often know far more about computers than their parents do. However, children need their parents' involvement, experience, and judgment, whether the children are experienced computer users or just getting started. This booklet provides…

"Adelante...con Ganas!" (Forward...with Enthusiasm) was a 3-year transitional bilingual program implemented at Burbank Middle School in the Houston Independent School District (Texas). The program consisted of three levels of bilingual instruction, from preliterate through intermediate, in which students were placed following state and…

This report describes an early intervention program for at-risk kindergartners who show the early signs of antisocial behavior patterns. The "First Steps" program consists of three modules that are designed to be used in concert with each other. These modules are: (1) a universal screening procedure that affords each kindergarten child…

Findings of a study that explored parents' views of education and their evaluations of their school's success are presented in this paper. The parents represented families involved in a Follow Through program, a federally sponsored education program that serves low-income children in kindergarten and the primary grades who had been enrolled in…

This handbook provides educators with a step-by-step guide to partnering with parents. Introductory materials include research findings and beliefs about parent involvement in schools and a checklist to determine if the educator is ready to develop a partnership with parents. The eight steps to a parent/school partnership follow. Step 1, define…

This book offers guidance for parents concerning their children with disabilities who are being educated in inclusive settings. It provides background information about how children learn and the specific difficulties experienced by children with learning problems. It suggests strategies for creating better learning environments at home and at…

Using observation and analysis of children's interactions with their environments, this study evaluated the quality of parent-run day care centers. Observation reduces the degree of subjectivism, respects the integrity of the child-care situation, and allows one to witness the actual effects of the environment and to observe the combined effect of…

This booklet was designed to assist elementary schools in developing and implementing strategies for program continuity. Chapter 1 provides an overview of theories of program continuity, discussing the concepts of continuity and integration. Chapter 2 considers ways in which teachers can promote program continuity in class. The chapter begins with…

This monograph looks at five cases in which corporations have developed programs that permit their employees to take time off for their children's schooling. Three major corporations, one mid-sized business, and a small business are included. All of the case studies involve North Carolina-based institutions in two geographic locations, one urban…

This manual is a guide to the design and implementation of workshops on inclusion of gender issues in U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) projects and programs. It describes a workshop to increase awareness of, information about, and skills for addressing gender issues in development programming. Its target audience is training…