The Bodh approach to primary education in India focuses on community and parental involvement, including home visits by teachers, training of community women to be para-teachers for preschools, and parent-teacher meetings. The curriculum is activity-oriented, incorporates a flexible age/grade matrix, and includes culturally relevant experiences.…

A preliminary study examined a project proposal to develop a Communication Skills Resource Center at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. The center would serve to help any students enrolled at Meramec to improve their oral communication skills. Currently there is no academic support service specially designed for students experiencing…

This paper addresses classroom teachers' influence on children's literary learning in families. The challenge of working with families has sometimes been ignored in the past, leading in effect to parental exclusion. An alternative approach can be based on some key ideas. A broad concept of family literacy and an expanded concept of literacy…

This report examines the state of secondary education in Cyprus. It opens with the historical and political background of Cyprus and the system of administration and management under which the country operates. The financing and expenditure involved with education is discussed, as are the aims and content of secondary education. The educational…

Partnerships between the South African state and nonstate sectors have become a strategic element in the implementation of education policy. Six policy texts, as exemplars of state support for partnerships, are presented. The notion of partnership is used in a theoretical way so as to suggest reasons for governmental support in the context of…

This policy brief discusses legislative efforts to create separate, alternative schools for students with behavior problems. The first section of the brief identifies the following three problems with placing disruptive students in alternative schools: (1) a focus on problem students may obscure or ignore real problems in the educational system;…

Many times, college students are exposed to the communication discipline solely through the basic public speaking course, allowing limited opportunity to experience critical thinking and writing within the discipline. This paper examines the importance of teaching critical thinking and writing skills in the basic course, encouraging educators to…

The Custodians/Security Department is a support service of the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District. Responsibilities of the department do not stop with the care of the facility, but extend to providing a clean, safe environment for all who use school facilities. Program evaluation in the 1993-94 school year reveals a total…

This Digest reviews what is known from recent research about delivering instruction to young children with disabilities in the natural environment. It notes the endorsement of this practice by the Division for Early Childhood Education of the Council for Exceptional Children. Research is reported which has focused on validating specific…

This book about the relationship between computer centers and libraries at academic institutions contains the following chapters: (1) "A History of the Rhetoric and Reality of Library and Computing Relationships" (Peggy Seiden and Michael D. Kathman); (2) "An Issue in Search of a Metaphor: Readings on the Marriageability of…

This book offers a framework designed to help teachers include bilingual learners in their curriculum planning. It considers what is needed for the curriculum to be accessible to all children. The 9 chapters are: (1) "Introduction" (Maggie Gravelle); (2) "'Jamaica's Find': Using a Story Book to Develop Ideas about Writing"…

Natural environments is a term used in the regulations for Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It states that early intervention services must be provided in natural environments, including home and community settings in which children without disabilities participate. Questions addressed in this paper include: (1)…

The program Effective Schooling in Rural Africa was developed by the Basic Education Cluster of the World Bank in response to concerns about poor quality schooling in rural Africa. This report draws on a multi-agency working group meeting held in June 2000 and on subsequent work to outline some key elements of the information base for quality…

This report highlights results from the 1999 Wingspread Conference on improving student achievement, a gathering of educators, leaders, and policymakers that opened a dialogue about barriers to full implementation of high standards for all students. Participants discussed five papers that examined these issues from top to bottom--from the…

This brief paper summarizes the current literature concerning youth aggression and violence especially risk, resilience, and prevention. It summarizes risk factors for aggression and violence including child characteristics (e.g., hyperactivity, risk-taking, emotional disturbance), home conditions (e.g., harsh and ineffective parental discipline,…