Three brochures for parents are presented. The first lists potential playground hazards and suggestions for improving playgrounds. The second describes benefits of the multiage classroom, comparing such a classroom with a traditional, single-grade class. The third brochure describes verbal, logical, visual, musical, and physical learning styles…

This collection provides a new perspective for understanding what assessment can do to promote continuous improvement in education. The concepts of systems thinking, continued learning, mental models, shared vision, and team building are highlighted in the selections, which include: (1) "A Systems Approach to Assessing School Culture"…

Homeless parents, like all parents, want their children to have a good education, and most are eager to help in any way they can. Some suggestions are offered for helping homeless parents become partners in their children's education. Parent concerns should be addressed directly. They should be assured that their children can learn, that schools…

Service-learning is a teaching strategy used by Texas middle schools that combines classroom learning with community activities and where both students and teachers plan activities and projects that meet a well defined school or community need. These activities strengthen academic learning by addressing learning objectives, allowing students to…

The more revolutionary, drastic education reform efforts are usually supported by new governmental legislation. This book offers three case studies of drastic reform carried out in Kentucky, Alberta, and Chicago. The reforms can be visualized in terms of how close they are to the alternative aims of expert guidance, social activism, and an…

Noting the important influence of a positive home-school relationship on children's academic achievement, this study explored some of the factors that can prevent parents from becoming involved in their child's school. A questionnaire consisting of 25 statements to be answered on a five-point Likert scale, and four open-ended questions was…

A research project used data from a national comparative study to examine whether service learning improved students' problem solving or contributed to a more complex understanding of social issues. In a pilot study, students with no, limited, and intensive service-learning experience were interviewed about a social problem and how they would…

In this memoir, a principal recounts the story of his 2 years at Edison Elementary School in San Francisco (CA), a school that was called the worst school in California. The students had the worst standardized test scores in the district, and racial discord and playground violence were common. The school was facing the threat of reconstitution,…

Increasing needs of families have prompted Head Start organizations to build partnerships with businesses, schools, and health care agencies to better serve their clients. This report examines the efficacy of such partnerships and provides guidance for developing similar collaborations. The first chapter of the report explains why Head Start is so…

This publication provides suggestions for day care workers providing care for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The guide is oriented around questions that providers may have in working with these children and families, and begins with a brief section entitled "What Do I Need to Know about Disabilities?" which…

Frequently, adults organize and implement youth projects without involving youth in the process. However, youth should be involved in problem identification and program design because they understand the needs of their peers and how to reach them effectively. This paper examines youth participation as a process for bringing about effective youth…

In the inclusion style of teaching, learners must make decisions about level of task difficulty. They must decide at which level to enter the presented task and then, for additional sets of trials, decide whether to perform the task the same way, make it more difficult, or make it less difficult. This study examined learner decision making in a…

This white paper informs Californians of the implications of the possible merger of Pacific Telesis and Southwestern Bell Corporation, under consideration by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The decision will determine the future direction and character of telecommunications in California. Only a small number of Californians are…

How the trend toward school-based management since the 1988 Education Reform Act has affected racial educational equality in England and Wales was studied through an examination of the policies and practices of a British Local Education Authority (LEA), identified as Woodshire. A review of the policies, practices, and events in the Woodshire…

Educators and service providers often have little opportunity to work cooperatively with families to enhance outcomes for children. This document is the third in a four-part training module that was developed by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's Child, Family, and Community Program. The module is based on an ecological, family-centered…