The National Education Association (NEA) offers its vision of schools in the 21st century, describes today's schools, and identifies practical solutions for improvement. Nine overarching principles incorporate the recommendations made. These nine principles are the basis for the NEA's Action Plan for Educational Excellence: (1) students must…

A Wisconsin program which provided grants to schools for projects that addressed prevention and intervention services for alcohol and other drugs was examined. A survey of fully implemented programs yielded 81 usable prevention and 47 usable intervention questionnaires. Results showed that the school grant program had served as an effective…

Responding to the high dropout rate in Providence, Rhode Island, public schools, community agencies, businesses, and teachers and administrators from the public schools joined together to form the Providence Dropout Prevention Collaborative. This document summarizes the study research, prevention plan, and implementation. The first chapter…

In April 1987, a telephone survey was conducted of a random sample of Johnson County adults to ascertain their perceptions of and experiences with Johnson County Community College (JCCC). In April 1988, a second telephone survey was conducted of county residents over 49 years of age to determine their educational needs and interests. Study…

The example of the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools demonstrates that involving taxpayers in school district budgeting can generate school improvement. This financially troubled district decided in 1979-80 to (1) fully inform the public of the schools' financial position; (2) involve the public in improving that position; (3) involve the public in…

The first textbook censorship challenge reached the courts in 1949, when a group of Jewish parents objected to Jewish stereotypes in literature used in the classrooms. This New York case is a reminder that (1) would-be censors do not always come from the far right; (2) while most censorship cases go to court for the purpose of having controversial…

Classroom teachers are presented with a rationale and general information for teaching about controversial issues. Following an introduction, material is arranged in six sections under topical questions. The first section considers educational and social benefits of teaching about controversy. Motivation, application of social studies content and…

Based on information provided by 67 two-year colleges from five regions of the United States, this report summarizes the status of the humanities in two-year colleges for the five regions as a whole and for each individually. First, the five-region summary examines current humanities requirements, curriculum changes, teaching strategies, funding…

Designed for teachers of students in grades 4-8, this program provides specific, easy-to-do activities for use with volunteers, parents, and students. Following a brief introduction explaining program procedures, the document is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on jobs, including ways to do a job well, find useful jobs in school and…

To determine the public perception of schools and school leaders, this study questioned people with knowledge of and opinions about their local schools, allowing open-ended responses to a question about confidence in their schools: "What are the sources of your confidence in this school (or school district)?" Although data are incomplete and…

This report provides information on the content, impact, and characteristics of over 50 model intergenerational programs across the United States. It is organized along a continuum starting with programs involving the most physically capable and mobile persons and moving toward those in which the older person is in increasing need of support and…

The decision-making processes of two major early childhood education organizations in New Zealand were examined in this study; specifically, decisions affecting the availability of preschool education services and the acceptability of these services. In light of events of the mid-1970s, a free kindergarten and a playcentre were examined in…

This paper describes the school-community guidance centers authorized by the Texas legislature in 1981 in an attempt to decrease the incidence of student disruptive behavior and student contacts with the criminal justice system. The variety of services, including academic instruction, counseling, home/school liaison, and follow-up programs, are…

An examination was made of the nature and extent of instructional coordination in secondary schools of the Netherlands; specifically, between teaching teams within schools, between teams in different subject areas, and between schools. Four out of 20 Dutch schools were persuaded to participate. Three members of the school management and about 30…

In order to help meet the economic development needs of the state, Oklahoma State University Technical Branch at Okmulgee (OSU Tech) has developed two initiatives. First, OSU Tech has focussed student training on degree programs in advancing technologies, such as avionics, electronics, and robotics. Second, the college has developed a Technology…