High school academies are three-year programs offering educationally disadvantaged students an integrated academic and vocational education, extensive counseling and peer support, and employment opportunities. These models to combat dropping out and facilitate transition from school to work are joint efforts of school districts, local businesses,…

Stresses the crucial role that parents play in improving student motivation and achievement in school. Sees the parent-teacher conference as an invaluable tool for involving parents in their children's education and winning community support for public schools. Advises how to conduct a productive parent-teacher conference. (CH)

Despite low teacher salaries and per-pupil expenditures relative to other states, South Dakota ranks high in several measures of student performance, including standardized test scores and high school graduation rate. Attributes the state's educational achievement to strong, stable families, small schools that are community centers, and…

New Jersey's governor describes his state's response to the problems and needs of adolescents by creating the School-Based Youth Services Program. The program involves schools and community agencies in the provision of comprehensive services to teenagers, including mental health and family counseling, health services, and other interventions. (AF)

Reviews a book about the history of a small rural school in Braxton County, West Virginia. Argues that consolidation and eventual closure of this school resulted from political, economic, social, and cultural forces that failed to recognize the important relationship between the school and the community. Reflects on the reviewer's own previous…

Argues for a sociological analysis of effective schools as opposed to the positivist paradigm. Maintains that the practice of schooling cannot be separated from the broader social, cultural, and political aspects of the local community. Profiles four high schools and their educational philosophies. (MJP)

Overviews the problems California schools have recruiting bilingual teachers and presents a recruiting model originating in the San Bernardino County Fontana School District in cooperation with a major university. Components of the model include well-defined staffing policies, a career ladder for bilingual teacher aides and support for teacher…

Describes a space education center that was developed in a Utah elementary school as a spacecraft simulator. Highlights include funding methods; business and community participation; student programs, including field trip opportunities for other schools; and the use of technology, including videodisc, videotapes, computers, telephone systems, and…

Examines how this university extension project for urban studies and design assists small and large towns in Arkansas to cope with development problems. The project uses faculty, professionals, and student interns to assess situations and provides professional consulting and referral services and public informational programs. (JB)

Arts advocacy groups have managed to influence Canadian public policy and government priorities during a time of economic difficulty and have produced significant outcomes for the arts community. Legislation to establish an umbrella, national arts agency was defeated following criticism from arts groups. Advocacy groups will have to assume an even…

In rural Australia, secondary education is often unavailable after year 10, and students are less likely to pursue tertiary education than urban counterparts. Student and family interviews suggest that career decisions are made primarily with advice from family, peers, and media, not school personnel. Reasons may be related to feelings that…

Case study of an Iowa junior high school describes how the school and community identified their resources and used them to create successful arts education programs from ordinary resources. The article examines four types of commitment that shaped school practice, noting effective teaching practices and administrative policy. (SM)

Described is the extent and operational nature of the link between schools and industry. A questionnaire was used to collect data from chemistry, physics, and biology teachers. Included are a description of the survey, results, and a discussion. (KR)

Collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and the Montgomery County (Maryland) school system resulted in selection and graduate-level training of 12 nontraditional individuals to teach students with serious behavioral and learning problems. The goal was to alleviate teacher (especially minority teacher) shortages in special education. This…

As challenges to jail administration mount, higher education institutions can be an important and relatively inexpensive resource, by providing expertise in various subjects of interest to jail administrators, by gathering and analyzing information, by providing interns and volunteers, by helping research and evaluate jail programs, and by…