This study evaluates the impact of minimally trained tutors on the pass/fail ratio of middle school students in core subjects such as English, reading, math, or science. Because a traditional experimental design comparing students who receive a treatment with those who do not was not financially feasible, the study employed an alternative that has…

Well-designed and effectively implemented school health policies and programs can improve students' health-related behaviors and outcomes, as well as their educational outcomes. Health promotion programs in the school setting are guided and constrained by myriad federal, state, and local laws and policies. Knowledge and understanding of the legal…

To help policymakers and others measure the school readiness of New Jersey children, the Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) participated in the national School Readiness Indicators Initiative, funded by The Packard Foundation. Guided by research on what helps children succeed in school, ACNJ and various private and public New Jersey…

In this brief essay the authors reflect on the value of community participation and cultural adaptation in their evolving research on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) infant and toddler development. They describe three concerns identified by their AI/AN community partners in adapting established research methodologies to work in AI/AN…

This article draws on the results from 18 round-table discussions and a symposium that involved community, education, and government stakeholders in building a vision for quality, equitable ESL education. The findings suggest six pillars of effective ESL education: comprehensive programming; responsive funding allocation; cultural competence;…

This book describes the process of developing comprehensive health education programs in rural areas. Six school districts in the Pacific Northwest teamed up with specialists from five universities, an educational service district, and a regional educational laboratory to develop the curricula. The book includes an introduction, a summary, and…

Educators today may find a historical review of the Howard Players at Howard University (Washington, D.C.) in the 1920s important because of its implicit commentary on what constitutes community. While the Howard Players are generally written about in terms of the development of an African-American theater, historians ought also to think of their…

Even within the perceived homogeneity of the American hinterlands, a plethora of social issues and concerns threaten contemporary society. Among applied communicators, and especially among public relations practitioners, increasingly complex relationships must be satisfactorily nurtured so that people and institutions can be helped to seek…

Reaffirming that all students, regardless of home language or socioeconomic background, can and must have an equal opportunity to excel in reading, this booklet presents 10 recommendations that form the basis of a comprehensive and balanced reading program to help children in California learn to read. Recommendations in the booklet address: (1)…

This document provides suggestions for community volunteer opportunities that involve students in partnerships with service agencies, governments, recycling programs, and environmental organizations. It consists of ready-to-copy project ideas complete with case studies, a set of worksheets for planning a project, and an appendix with additional…

The Arizona Journey Schools Program (JSP) was a two-year professional development experience whose stated purpose was to build the leadership capacity of school/community teams and establish a network of professionals to support teams as they bring about systemic change in mathematics and science teaching, learning, and assessment. This report…

To educate young people to be productive citizens and to ensure that the democratic objective of equality is realized, service learning must adopt an alternative paradigm that promotes the ideals and values of participatory democracy. Three problematic assumptions of service learning are that (1) good citizenship requires students to "give" back…

Reforming schools involves change and, like all change, it faces opposition. This 2-part report is designed to help local school and community leaders involved in education who are experiencing growing opposition to school improvement efforts. The first part includes materials and resources educational leaders can use to promote change. Each entry…

This report reviews government-funded, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) projects for adults at three schools: in Arlington (Virginia) public schools, in an El Paso (Texas) community college, and in the Massachusetts Department of Education. The Arlington Adult Learning System (AALS) demonstrated how coordination by a community-based…

Although some businesses have provided employer-supported child care for decades, these efforts have been exceptional rather than part of a mainstream effort. Obstacles to employer-supported child care in the early 1980s included: (1) the view that work and family were separate; (2) negative perceptions of women's increased involvement in the…