Engages students in writing their autobiographies through the Family Heritage Booklet, a student-compiled family history social studies project, designed for Texas seventh graders. Includes objectives, materials, and procedures. Contains letter to parents seeking their knowledge on family history. Suggests project boosts student self-esteem and…

Based on the May 1990 report of Head Start's Silver Ribbon Panel, this article provides background information on the panel, summarizes Head Start's successes and challenges, outlines the commendations, and discusses implications of the panel's report. (BG)

Reprints an April 17, 1989 NEWSWEEK cover story, "How Kids Learn," which maintains that young children learn best in developmentally appropriate programs that promote cognitive, social, and language development; physical activities; feelings of competence and self-esteem; individual rates of growth; parent involvement; and teacher…

Psychologists and other mental health professionals can collaborate with persons suffering from mental disorders and their families to seek increased funding for the mental health movement. Partnerships between family members and psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers should be expanded in the following three areas: (1) research; (2)…

Evaluates "Facing Today and the Future: Choosing to Participate," a resource book about citizenship in which students are asked to think about their role in the U.S. democracy through an investigation of case studies about individuals and groups who have tried to make a difference. Recommends this volume as a valuable resource for…

Describes student-directed class model at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Describes students' role as planning syllabus, regulating commitment, facilitating sessions, and evaluating course. Describes teacher's role as balancing intervention with non-involvement. Recommends model as way of integrating experiential learning into mainstream…

Investigates the extent to which adolescents are willing to extend basic human rights to their least-liked sociopolitical groups. Suggests that it is critical that teachers refer to specific groups especially those that are viewed negatively in discussing political tolerance. (KO)

Home school research studies--surveys, case studies, and comparison studies--have primarily focused on the immediate environment of the home. Future investigations should expand to include the characteristics of other surrounding environments that may influence the home schooling process. (BJV)

An ethnographic study of high school seniors in a small rural midwestern high school revealed that, although there was a lack of direct parent and community involvement, the small cohesive class of 30 students constructed a school culture that promoted participation, cooperation, high expectations, and academic achievement. (LP)

Presents a vision of multicultural education as a validating and inclusive process for non-European ways of knowing. Classifies multicultural education as inclusionary, emancipatory, liberatory, critical, and transformative. Briefly gives examples of each and identifies leading advocates of these approaches. (MJP)

Reports on a study of 29 students of deductive logic that compared instructor-supplied and computer-supplied diagnostic feedback used with computer-assisted instruction programs. Dependent measures included exam performance, class attendance and responsiveness, and attitudes toward the instructor, computers, other students, and the course.…

Describes a collaborative project between California State University, Los Angeles, and an urban elementary school that fostered conditions for parent involvement in the school and home-school cooperation. Workshops, English classes, and a parent mentor program were features of the successful effort. (SLD)

Discusses the motivation, implementation, and impressions of involving college students in written and oral field guide contributions in two geography classes. Concludes that students learn more from participating, obtain written and oral communication opportunities, and acquire self-esteem by using the approach. (CFR)

Presents a case study of the impact of school-based development planning on a small, disadvantaged rural elementary school in New South Wales. Although this collaborative approach increased parent participation and ownership in the school, more demands were placed on staff, particularly the teaching principal. Additional resources are essential…

Two different approaches to community involvement in the schools are demonstrated by participants in the School-Community Connection initiative of the Institute for Responsive Education. The Wisconsin school district connects students to the outside environment, while the Hawaii district brings supportive networks into the school to nurture…