Citizens need to understand and control how their money is used in local public schools. District publications and records probably contain the answers to many of the questions concerning local education spending. This booklet was designed to unravel the mysteries surrounding budget proposals and increased spending. Accordingly, part 1 explains…

This paper examines two kinds of student engagement: "procedural," which concerns classroom rules and regulations; and "substantive," which involves sustained commitment to the content and issues of academic study. It describes the manifestations of these two forms of engagement, explains how they relate differently to student outcomes, and offers…

This document describes a practicum designed to increase elementary school parents' implementation of academic and/or social skills recommendations from a school psychologist who performed psychoeducational evaluations. It notes that, when students were referred to the school psychologist, the psychologist would perform an evaluation, interpret…

A summary of the school restructuring movement and an outline of strategies for implementation are presented. The underlying principles of restructuring are included in four broad strategies, which include school-based management, teacher empowerment, voice/choice, and teaching for understanding. New responsibilities for state policymakers include…

The organizational characteristics of public schools, the impact of context on people in schools, and the consequences for school reform are examined. Based on the thesis that organizational characteristics of schools constrain most reform efforts, a suggestion is made for restructuring the teaching day, which promotes effective planning and…

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data included in America's Challenge: Accelerating Academic Achievement, indicate the scope of the task of reaching the National Goal for Education on Student Achievement and Citizenship. This discussion guide focuses on the five corollary objectives of the National Goal, which are to: (1)…

This guide describes program elements considered essential to any successful collaboration between families and schools. Initial contents offer a brief discussion of the basic types of parent involvement and the benefits of and barriers to effective parent involvement programs. The guide then focuses on ways to insure that necessary program…

This booklet was developed to assist agencies and groups in developing effective programs for single parents in rural areas. Most of the concepts also apply to urban and suburban settings, but rural parents carry the extra burden of great distances and geographic and social isolation. The handbook is organized in six sections. The first section…

In September 1985, the Prince George's County Public School System located in the Washington metropolitan area east of the District of Columbia, began implementation of a Milliken relief program to revamp its equity strategy. Initially, 10 of 117 elementary schools in the system were targeted for relief, but by September 1988, the Milliken program…

This study investigated factors that play a role in the fading effects of prekindergarten programs for economically disadvantaged children. The school adjustment of 1,284 low-income, minority children in prekindergarten and kindergarten programs funded by the government (i.e., Child Parent Center; Head Start) was traced through the third year of…

An experienced art teacher working with students in grades two through six implemented and evaluated a practicum intervention designed to improve the self-images of male black students, their academic accomplishments, and their feelings of pride in their school. Five actions were taken to attain the objective: (1) cultural materials produced by…

The involvement of 61 at-risk parents in a teacher-parent partnership project which was implemented among families of kindergarteners and first graders in three poor, rural school districts in South Carolina was assessed. Core questions were: (1) What are the parents' participation levels and patterns of home and school learning? (2) What is the…

The purpose of this practicum was to develop a program to increase high school juniors' and seniors' academic achievement by one grade level, their self-esteem by one level (as measured by the North York Secondary School Self-Concept Inventory), and to increase parent positive responses and interest in the program and its continuation. Examination…

This study examined alumni giving as related to undergraduate involvement, student housing, academic success, and satisfaction with the education received. Two hundred alumni donors from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale's College of Education were surveyed, with a 70% response rate. The study found that alumni donors had not been as…

The need to provide elementary school teachers with effective parent involvement strategies for hard-to-reach parents was addressed by designing an inservice for teachers which presented research-based strategies. Strategies included using a positive, non-threatening approach, employing personal, two-way communication, providing guidance and…