The PACERS Small Schools Cooperative is an association of 29 small public schools in 25 communities in rural Alabama whose goal is to keep schools open by making visible their viability. To that end, the schools of the cooperative develop appropriate curricular and extracurricular opportunities for schools and students that involve the people in…

Seven papers look at lessons from the franchising experience in further education (FE) in Britain. "Franchising--A Case Study in FE Funding" (Mick Fletcher) looks at franchised provision in the light of universal themes that cut across all of FE: funding tariff, employer contributions, and local priorities. "The Case for…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. These essays highlight some of the benefits and problems of service-learning in the college composition curriculum and present further areas for study. Following the Introduction, "Service-Learning and Composition at the Crossroads," by…

Because school systems throughout America depend on local property taxes for much of their revenue, districts with poor property valuations, especially rural districts, are facing fiscal crises. In response to a lawsuit filed in 1991, the Ohio Supreme Court twice decided that the state's heavy reliance on local property taxes for school funding…

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 established a national framework to guide the development of statewide school-to-work (STW) opportunities systems in each state. Governors apply to the National School-to-Work Office for 5-year federal implementation grants. Early research on implementation of STW in rural areas suggests that…

Noting that the fragmented approach to early childhood education in the United States has resulted in enormous variability in program quality, this report describes characteristics of the "ecole maternelle," the preschool system in France. The report is based upon observations made by 15 American delegates who visited 11 preschools in…

This issue of "Community Update" focuses on families involved in learning. The first article briefly discusses the "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn" White House summit that highlighted new research on early childhood learning. The center spread of this issue offers "Priming the Primary Educator: A Look at L. A. County's…

This book is intended for fieldworkers or researchers and indigenous communities who are planning collaborative projects or research. Narratives of educational projects in Alaska Native and New Zealand Maori communities illustrate the ways that collaborative projects were developed in indigenous communities in the late 20th century. To illuminate…

The positive impact from changing the environment of a school as a way of improving the quality of education is often overlooked by educators. This book shows how to create more effective schools through a design process that involves teachers, students, parents, administrators, and architects. The design process creates school environments that…

Most research on the effects of computing on students' educational performance and progress has examined direct relationships between computer-based activities and schoolwork and/or attitudes about school and education. This study, based on a sample of participants in a comprehensive, school-centered computer distribution program in New York City,…

This paper describes the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) project, an early intervention program that has been developed in the context of the national, multi-site program and evaluation. The emphasis in SESS is on the integration of behavioral health services into easily accessible, non-threatening settings where caregivers naturally and…

This book documents the debate among the Inuit of Nunavik (northern Quebec) over the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of public schools in their 14 arctic communities. The book begins with a summary of the history of education in Nunavik, including traditional Inuit methods and purposes of education. The 14 communities comprise the Kativik…

Wesley College, a private urban secondary school, operates a campus in the small, rural town of Clunes, Victoria (Australia), where ninth-grade students can spend a term in a community-based, experientially-derived curriculum to enhance their sense of self and community. Students are accommodated in houses of eight as single-sex groups and are…

As schools become more culturally diverse, it is critical for principals and teachers to enact policies and procedures that ensure effective interactions among students and their teachers. This guide offers ways to ensure equitable access to quality education for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural heritage. Its intent is…

Jilin is a rural province in northeastern China, known for its forests and forest products such as ginseng. In the past, Jilin's schools focused on preparing students for higher education and offered little of relevance to most rural students. In addition, the schools were understaffed and were managed by a remote, centralized bureaucracy. In…