This book seeks to summarize what is known about sources of racial and ethnic prejudice in the United States and to identify ways that individuals and organizations can act to reduce intolerance and discrimination. The volume's 17 chapters are organized into four parts. Part I, "The Changing Policy Context," contains: (1) "Schooling and Social…

Project Achieve Transition Services (PATS) is a four-year high school attendance improvement, dropout prevention project which targets late-entry students consisting primarily of immigrants, transfers, and long-term absentees. The program uses a case management approach to provide support services, instructional enhancements, and family outreach…

Academic libraries in Ohio were surveyed to determine the existence and content of training in customer service offered to library employees in the circulation and reference departments. Surveys were mailed to 127 libraries, and achieved a return rate of 68% (n=87). The survey contained questions about customer service training for both new and…

In response to dramatic enrollment declines between 1991 and 1996, 19 division deans at Indiana's Vincennes University (VU) implemented the Pathways Project to renew their role as campus leaders and address the causes of the enrollment decline. In the project's first year, considerable success was achieved in involving over 100 faculty in five…

This report synthesizes first-phase evaluation results of the Teenage Parent Demonstration program. This program, whose cornerstone is case management, responded to three concerns: (1) rising welfare caseloads; (2) persistently high rates of teenage pregnancies and births; and (3) the high probability that teenage parents will go onto welfare and…

This paper reviews and analyzes a 1997-98 budget proposal by the Chancellor and Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The proposal, entitled "Partnership for Excellence," proposes to fund a portion of the California Community College budget on a performance basis, with a differential payout mechanism for colleges based…

Intended to provide background information and preliminary options for the California Community Colleges' Commission on Innovation, this document describes the principles of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and describes policy options for implementation in the state's community colleges. Following introductory materials, the paper recommends…

This newsletter issue focuses on the issue of recommended instructional and curriculum changes that are part of the current reforms in science education. The issue is composed of four articles. The first article, "Science Education: Schools Pushed To Broaden Access, Overhaul Practice," discusses the call for a science curriculum that…

The purpose of this action research study was threefold: (1) to assess the climate of an elementary school in which the principal, assistant principal, and 67 percent of the teaching staff were new; (2) to develop and implement a plan for improvement; and (3) to reevaluate the school climate to determine whether improvement had occurred. The…

A model for evaluating the higher education programs offered at Army bases is described. Attention is focused not only on what off-campus staff can do to develop and maintain quality, but what can be done to demonstrate to outsiders the achievement of quality. It is suggested that the institution needs to have genuine concern for quality, a…

The formative evaluation of the first year's implementation of the Enrichment Kindergarten program of the Des Moines, Iowa Independent Community School District involved 12 half-day enrichment sessions at six schools. Approximately 278 kindergarten students were served. Results of the evaluation indicated that over 96 percent of the budgeted…

Curriculum alignment (CA) refers to the congruence of all the elements of a school's curriculum: curriculum goals; instructional program--what is taught and the materials used; and tests used to judge outcomes. CA can be a very powerful can be a very powerful factor in improving schools. Although further research is needed on CA, there is…

The potential for expanding job opportunities for college students to help cover expenses and provide valuable experiences was evaluated, based on an informal survey of federal, state, and institutional work-study programs. The focus is on recent innovations and possibilities for improvement. The U.S. Department of Education administers two…

A curriculum development project began with a market survey to investigate the demand for training in quality assurance (QA). The project objective was to develop a final study program that would cater to a broad range of employees, from operative to senior management; enable employees to appreciate their potential role within a QA system; and…

This Title VII program completed its second year of a 3 year continuation project to provide students with limited English proficiency instruction designed to help them achieve English language proficiency. The program also included a staff development component. Students were in Lau categories A, B, and C (non-English speaking, English as a…