Urban university leaders must reestablish public confidence through communication, clear mission and identity, deregulation of higher education, confrontation of fiscal realities and urban mission, and a recreated sense of community. Leadership types include several models and the complex challenges of urban universities demand effective…

Describes, from the points of view of a principal and a 2nd-grade teacher, the process of creating an integrated unit on Alaska and Hawaii that began in an integrated learning workshop taught by the district administrators as part of the transformation of literacy practices in a small K-8 school district. (SR)

Forward in the Fifth is an organization created to improve the quality of education in Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District, which had the lowest percentage of high school graduates in America. The organization has employed innovative ways to involve the whole community, resulting in widespread cooperation, as well as increased graduation rates…

This article identifies similarities in structures and practices between early intervention with infants and young children with disabilities and secondary/transition programs for adolescents and young adults with developmental delays or disabilities. These include horizontally administered, community-referenced, and consumer-driven services;…

Overviews the role of school councils in each of the 12 Canadian provinces as part of a trend toward site-based management that empowers local communities with decision making and encourages significant input from those responsible for implementing decisions. Suggests that school councils allow parents decision-making power in the policy areas of…

Details specific ways to describe progress in the school improvement process (SIP) to first-level stakeholders (students and educators) and second-level stakeholders (parents, administrators, school board members, and community members). The paper illustrates such reporting by describing use of assessment information in relation to the Middle…

Describes Child Care Aware, a new community service campaign sponsored by some of the nation's largest retail and philanthropic organizations and national child care organizations. The campaign is designed to help parents understand and select child care. (BB)

Explores the idea of school-community councils as a way of establishing a social compact between schools and the community. Specific suggestions are given for establishing councils and keeping them functioning smoothly. Literature and community resources that can help are suggested and listed. (SLD)

Traces the growth of a traditional classroom teacher working with children, aged 9-12, in an informal after-school drama program. Discusses dramatics teaching strategies, the use of imaging, empowering children to create, and the development of language through use in a purposeful context. Contains 22 references. (Author/SV)

Describes the Follow Through educational model as one type of program with a strong commitment to parent involvement. Findings provide evidence of positive outcomes in three areas of parent involvement: advocacy, decision making, and instruction. Suggestions for the implementation of new parent involvement programs in elementary schools are…

Discusses policy themes that emerged from the articles in this special issue. Themes concern the complexities of public school preschool education, the need for collaboration and unified governance, the importance of the social and cultural contexts of preschool programs, and the expanding roles of federal and state agencies. (LB)

Analysis of data on a conflict between the Joshua Gap (California) school district and local parents over the district's decision to utilize a multiculturally oriented textbook series suggests that contrasting images of the local and larger U.S. community, and contrasting views about the role of schooling, contributed to the conflict. (IAH)

Discusses the efforts of tribally controlled colleges to integrate traditional American Indian healing techniques with Western medical practices, indicating that the colleges often find themselves acting as liaisons between the two approaches. Describes approaches of the colleges' medical programs to promote understanding of Indian patients and…

A rural school-community council identified local risk factors for youth substance abuse, selected prevention strategies related to the risks, and developed objectives and evaluation processes. Community members were presented with the plan and formed a committee to begin implementation. (LP)

This keynote address offers suggestions for structural change in dental education to meet changing societal needs including programs tailored to specific local community needs, interdisciplinary efforts, public-private cooperative projects building on local health care community strengths, and international collaboration supporting both health…