This technical assistance packet is intended as a guide for those who develop programs in support of mentors of youth. It offers guidance to help mentors build trusting relationships with their mentees, and, ultimately, contribute to positive outcomes for the children and youth in the mentoring program. Successful mentoring programs provide…

Family, friend and neighbor care has frequently been characterized in the media, and even in the early care and education field, as "substandard, unregulated care," a "fall-back" position when parents can not find or afford a regulated setting. However, up until quite recently, there was virtually no research to support any…

Using the centers approach to resource-based learning, this book incorporates important information skill-building into a variety of exciting learning opportunities across the curriculum. It provides an ongoing library center program through a series of mini-lessons that cover topics ranging from author exploration and natural resources to rockets…

In the wake of economic and social change in Japan, several lifelong learning initiatives have been implemented. Structural changes such as internationalization, the coming of the information age, and the maturation of Japanese society caused the formerly homogeneous society to become more flexible, paving the way for lifelong learning. Additional…

Distance learning and collaboration software is beneficial to on-site students as well as off-site students. Collaborative learning (CL) allows students to work together in small groups to help each other master academic material. CL helps teachers by exploiting the ability of students to communicate with each other, and more actively engages…

Based on the work of the National Council on Research in Child Welfare (NCRCW), this handbook is designed to help social service agency executives cope with changing times for child welfare agencies, strengthen traditional services to meet today's needs, and analyze and plan for the future. The manual aims to demystify quality improvement theory…

This publication provides a step-by-step guide to help schools and districts implement strong, sustainable professional development that drives achievement of student learning goals. The toolkit is based on the experiences of national professional development award winning schools and districts. The most common thread among the winners is that…

To help mitigate the impact of multi-environmental degradation, the model program for emotionally at-risk children that uses nature to enhance emotional well-being (or intellect) has been constructed, implemented and researched. The six sessions that compose the program are designed to impart social-emotional understanding and prime perceptions by…

This annotated video transcript follows the discussion of six experts in community relations and charter schools. The panel was convened as part of an initiative to identify the specific needs of charter-school founders and to develop a leadership-training program designed to address those needs. Each member of the panel shared his or her insights…

In 1996, suicide was the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. The nation must address how to develop and implement a national strategy for suicide prevention to achieve a significant and measurable reduction in suicidal behaviors. A national conference on suicide prevention brought together policymakers, health and mental health…

This booklet is intended to help decrease the barriers of prejudice toward people who have mental illnesses. It serves as an educational tool to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness and to help develop anti-stigma or anti-discrimination programs. Increasingly, the media is doing a better job of breaking down the stereotypes…

Disagreements often lead to confrontations that contribute more to an escalation of a conflict rather than to its resolution. This bulletin shows how to start and carry out a community mediation program that helps prevent violence. Mediation can reduce violence in neighborhoods and schools. Peer mediation is a way of handling conflicts and…

This document describes the Kentucky Manufacturing Skill Standards (KMSS) development process. The Manufacturing Standards project is divided into three phases: standards, assessment, and curriculum. The vision of this project is to identify a standards-driven assessment process and determine the level of competency and understanding. This data…

Noting that a family with young children is under tremendous pressure and that a babysitting cooperative can give parents relief during a vital stage of a family's development, this book provides guidance for mothers of preschool children in starting and maintaining a Smart Mom's Babysitting Cooperative based on the University Place Baby-Sitting…

This bulletin describes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's efforts to fight juvenile gun violence. The Office awarded four community demonstration grants to implement "Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence." Partnership goals include increasing the effectiveness of existing strategies by enhancing and…