Lists 16 public-school-related, off-campus activities, including guest teaching, conducting workshops, classroom observation, and serving on joint committees and accreditation teams. Asks university music educators to evaluate these activities in terms of frequency, effectiveness, and importance (both to the community and to their careers). (MJP)

A Native American literature professor's account of college students' cross-cultural field experience on two Indian reservations near the Grand Canyon shows how the experience enhanced student understanding of the Native American belief in the people and land as one, storytelling and a sense of the sacred, and the history and impact of…

Descriptions of students projects raising chickens and studying salmon illustrate how project-based learning engages high-risk Alaska Native students. Projects make learning relevant, involve the community, increase student self-esteem, and help students and teachers bond with each other. A 4-day workshop for teachers emphasized how projects must…

A case study of Davis Bilingual Magnet School in Tucson (Arizona) observed and interviewed teachers, parents, students, and community members. The school's success results from strong community support and an educational environment that privileges Spanish. Although Davis students do well on standardized tests, the school's greatest pride comes…

Discusses the importance of curriculum integration for helping teachers make sense of standards in a curriculum relevant to students. Describes two middle school class projects that demonstrate these principles: one in which students explored their skills and attitudes in relation to local businesses, the other, in which students helped build…

A survey of secondary school-to-work and tech-prep teachers from 45 states concerning inclusion of students with disabilities found that the 169 respondents did not feel prepared to meet the needs of their students with disabilities, had received little or no in-service training regarding inclusive practices, and had not participated in developing…

A family literacy program for Salvadoran refugees and other Latinos in Arlington (Virginia) is analyzed from a sociocultural perspective as exemplifying an educational project designed and implemented by grassroots organizations in an increasingly diverse, multicultural/multilingual community. The program addresses the educational needs of poor…

In response to their children being turned away from the bilingual school, a group of Latino parents organized to pressure the Lompoc (California) Unified School District to guarantee educational equity. A systemic analysis of components leading to parental activism focuses on leadership, knowledge as power, cultural conflicts, anti-immigrant…

The arts survive at the margins of education primarily as curriculum enrichments. However, evidence is emerging that shows that arts education can have powerful effects on student achievement, with the greatest gains for students in the lowest socioeconomic status quartile, those most at risk of academic failure. Arts integration is an…

Frequently cited among the benefits of service-learning is the potential enhancement of students' ability to critically reflect upon their experiences. It is often questioned as to how critical this reflection process is in practice, noting that service-learning often leaves students' assumptions regarding privilege and equity unexamined.…

Schools are moving toward a human service approach that encompasses the physical and mental needs of its students on top of the traditional role of educating. School-based collaboratives are one delivery model that satisfies this expanding role. Lacking in the research on this emerging setting, particularly in the realm of mental health, is…

This article reports the findings of a collective case study of 2 low-performing, predominantly minority urban schools. The research shows that principals were able to improve the quality of parent-teacher relationships using multidimensional strategies that addressed the needs of teachers and parents. The findings suggest that strategies to…

The "CURA Reporter" is published quarterly to provide information about the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), an all-University applied research and technical assistance center at the University of Minnesota that connects faculty and students with community organizations and public institutions working on significant public…

In this report, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's (ASCD's) Commission on the Whole Child advances five major recommendations for ensuring that all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. This report frames education within the most fundamental context--the personalized engagement and nurturing of the…

The mission statements of 34 four-year and of 68 two-year colleges in the State of Texas were examined for themes to determine the extent to which their themes were similar or dissimilar in nature. Although previous researchers have attempted to analyze and demonstrate that these mission statements often have reoccurring themes, only limited…