This paper describes the first year evaluation of a community-wide, parent/family involvement program initiated in a midsized, Southeast community and school district. The program consists of three major components: (1) Community-Wide Efforts, (2) School-Home Communication, and (3) Home Involvement. Formative and summative evaluation data were…

This paper examines the development of character education requirements in New Hampshire public school curricula and the education of teachers to be certified to teach character education. The research literature is reviewed and examples of programs for character development are described. Several observations provide helpful insights on the…

Hudson County Community College in New Jersey adopted a new mission statement in April 1993, which radically changed the school from a limited-mission college to a comprehensive college devoted to serving the entire community's educational needs. A strong faculty and staff development program was necessary for this transition. A new program was…

This book details the history of the Dorland-Bell School, a residential school in rural western North Carolina. The book is based on letters, extensive interviews, and research about the school. In 1886, Luke and Juliette Dorland, Presbyterian missionaries and educators, retired to Hot Springs, North Carolina. However, at the request of residents…

A study examined the broad range of family literacy programs across Michigan to document how goals, instructional practice, assessment methods, staff training, and social support for participants varied. Three established models of family literacy were identified and described: the Kenan Model, Parents as Partners in Reading (PPR), and HIPPY (Home…

The transformation of education and the formation of social capital in Texas has been brought about by local organizations of the Texas Industrial Areas Foundation, or the Texas IAF. The organizations have operated in innercity neighborhoods to develop mutually reinforcing matrices of school improvement and community uplift. By 1992 Texas IAF…

Public anger is a typical reaction to governments' or companies' attempts to cover up mistakes, conceal evidence of risks, make misleading statements, or lie. Many times, this anger leads to an entrenched resistance to public or private initiatives. Ways in which this resistance can be overcome by a mutual gains approach, which involves…

This book presents a systematic and coherent exposition of the educational structure of Luxembourg, and also outlines the essential problems the system faces. The text opens with the social and political context of education in the country, which is followed by a description of the different types of secondary education. Some of the specific…

Although leadership should not be thought of as manifest only in the acts of a single person, the school principal is the person who arranges the organizational conditions. To help future and present school principals, issues behind leadership and the management aspects of the principalship are presented. The book combines theory and practice,…

The work of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) in rural education focuses on the intersection between school renewal and rural community development. NWREL's Rural School-Community Renewal Research and Development project aims to develop the capacity of small rural schools enrolling many economically disadvantaged students to…

International comparisons present the paradox that while such efforts encourage reflection on their own norms, values, and insights, researchers may lack the requisite knowledge to similarly engage a new culture. This work reviews school-leadership research that points to commonalities and differences in social and cultural trends in Denmark,…

This booklet presents the story of Benito Martinez Elementary, one urban elementary school in the midst of change and renewal. It is one of 85 schools with which the National Institute for Urban School Improvement is involved in partnerships for change. Through the stories of parents, students, teachers, and administrators, the booklet describes…

This publication is a report from a task force charged with developing a vision and making recommendations for a comprehensive system of dropout prevention, intervention, and recovery within the state of Maryland. The challenge was given urgency due to three factors: (1) rigorous standards for students that were part of school improvement programs…

This paper proposes a five-part formula for conducting an environmental scan for community colleges and writing up the results. To fulfill its mission effectively, administrators should be informed about various aspects of the community they serve. The formula is designed to make the project as easy as possible, focused, and usable the next time…

Bellevue Community College (BCC) (Washington) developed a set of 14 institutional performance indicators, specifically: (1) program/degree completion; (2) transfer student success; (3) student retention; (4) student goal attainment; (5) progression from developmental to college level programs; (6) employment; (7) efficiency of college operations;…