This volume offers the analysis and suggestions for reform of leading educational experts on the topic of education in the inner cities. An introduction provides an overview of the problems of American education and a proposed solution: educational choice. The 12 chapters are as follows: (1) "The Public School Monopoly: America's Berlin…

The second year of the International Academy for Bilingual Education and Bicultural Studies program in New York City is described. The program provided instructional and support services to 40 Chinese- and English-speaking students in one pre-kindergarten and one kindergarten class at P.S. 1 in community school district 2. Half of the students…

This final report describes a study which examined how new college students become aware of and involved in the academic and non-academic "learning communities" of the campus; specifically the report examined the social, academic and administrative mechanisms and processes through which students become involved in academic and social…

If pedagogical skills and knowledge are to become relevant to preservice teachers, students must develop their own process of active thought and become involved in their own learning. The question of how to bridge the gap between teaching theory and application can be facilitated by using a case study approach. This methodology is useful for the…

The Reach Out to Schools Social Competency Program is a 40-lesson elementary school curriculum that teaches children and their teachers to build positive, supportive relationships in the classroom. It is organized around three units: creating a cooperative classroom environment, building self-esteem and positive feelings, and solving people…

State and county initiatives in California have sparked a movement for integration of social services. The practical lessons learned by communities integrating services for children and families were studied and are presented in this report. The study draws on the experiences of seven California communities (Fresno County, Los Angeles County,…

This project analyzes data from the parent component of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 to investigate changes in family educational involvement between students' 8th and 12th grades. Findings show that the patterns of parental involvement in adolescents' education change between the two grades. During high school, parents…

In September 1996, the Missouri Commissioner of Education appointed a statewide task force on the Achievement of African-American Students. The findings of the state-level task force, the views of Missouri students, and the experience of successful educators all support the conclusion that the single most important nontangible element required to…

This paper discusses the use of new technologies for distance learning-- including interactive video, computers, and the Internet-- at Mercy College (New York) and DePaul University (Illinois). The description of a course on discrete mathematics that is taught using the Mercy College Long-distance Instructional Network (MerLIN) focuses on the use…

Throughout 1998, the National Education Goals Panel conducted interviews with policymakers in the states that have made top improvement and performance on indicators of progress toward the national education goals. State officials told the story behind the data and what they consider to be the reasons for their success. Their stories are intended…

In 1997-98, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) received a 2-year Title VII Enhancement Grant to serve limited-English-proficient (LEP) students and their teachers at Fulmore Middle School. The Rethinking Education for Minority Students (REFORMs) grant was intended to enhance the existing English-as-a-Second-Language/Transitional…

An evaluation was done of New York City Board of Education's Program Assistance for Neophytes (Project PAN) for 1989-90. The program served 625 Asian American, limited English proficient students, most of whom were recent immigrants, at John Bowne and Newtown High Schools in Queens. The program provided a transitional period of bilingual education…

A study was done that compared the parental involvement of three generations of Japanese Americans in their children's education, particularly their involvement in academic work and extracurricular activities and perceived barriers to involvement. First generation Japanese American immigrants are called "Isseis" in Japanese; second…

This paper describes three case studies of interactions between mothers and their kindergarten children. Mothers and children were of Puerto Rican descent and lived in a midwestern city. Children were bilingual, but used English more competently than Spanish. During the children's kindergarten year, researchers observed mother-child interactions…

This report constructs a profile of the 225,000 eighth graders attending Catholic schools in the United States in 1988 and compares them to eighth graders attending public schools. The analysis focused on themes of excellence and equity. Study data were taken from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. The study design incorporated a…