This toolkit helps community-based organizations create a community guide to the school budget, demystifying school finance for citizens and engaging them in the process of using the school budget as a tool for school improvement. It explains the major steps organizations have used in their own initiatives, offering advice and examples of tools.…

Although increasing numbers of organizations are speaking out on behalf of children, politicians need to hear first-hand from families about their concerns for their children. This book provides parents and others with skills necessary to organize effectively and speak out on issues that affect children at home, at school, and in the broader…

This issue of the children's magazine, "The Goldfinch," focuses on Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover. The articles included are: (1) "Getting To Know Herbert Clark Hoover"; (2) "Lou Henry Hoover"; (3) "Meet an Iowa Author"; (4) "The Great Depression"; (5) "A Different Kind of Coupon"; (6)…

Schoolyard ecosystem programs, such as mini-farms, gardens, or nature trails on school grounds, are usually designed to promote greater insight and understanding of ecological relationships and develop an appreciation of an individual's responsibility for environmental quality. This paper focuses on evaluation practices of schoolyard habitat…

The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, lauds the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. The observance also encourages citizens to take action to help expand and improve the availability of effective…

This document summarizes findings from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's National Cross-Site Evaluation of High-Risk Youth Programs, which identified characteristics associated with strong substance abuse prevention outcomes in 48 prevention programs. It provides concrete guidance regarding what elements of design and implementation are…

This unit planning workbook is designed to serve as an implementation guide for managing the strategic planning initiatives articulated in the 1999-2003 Strategic Plan. Salem Community College's strategic plan aims towards allowing the college to enter the 21st Century as an active agent in the advancement of the Salem County community. This…

This discussion guide considers the issues of racism and race relations in the nation and in its communities and recognizes the importance of public dialogue as a critical step in making progress on those issues. The discussion guide is designed to help organize and facilitate the kind of dialogue about racism and race relations that can make a…

This discussion guide is designed to help students engage in the kind of dialogue about racism and race relations that can make a difference in their community. In study circles (small-group, democratic, participatory discussions), students have the chance to get to know one another, consider different points of view, explore disagreements, and…

This play, intended for use in classrooms (grades 3-12), introduces ideas about village life in New England during the 17th century. The play helps students learn about values, customs, language, and problems of settlers in colonial New England. The setting of the play is Newtowne, (now known as Cambridge) Massachusetts in 1635. The play's theme…

This guide encourages counselors to actively celebrate Counseling Awareness Month. It was designed to simplify planning and publicizing activities for counselors involved with Counseling Awareness Month. It includes information about activities ranging from the simple, such as wearing a Counseling Awareness Month T-shirt, to the ambitious, such as…

To examine how the school districts profiled in "Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts That Value Arts Education" are responding to the demands of how to provide high quality public education to all students throughout the country and whether their communities continue to support arts education, the Arts Education Partnership…

This report examines the legal and regulatory structure of basic education in Indonesia beginning in 1989, when Education Law Number 2 was enacted (from which all current regulations, policies, and procedures can be traced). In 1999, two key laws (Number 22 and Number 25) were passed that required the decentralization of many government functions.…

There is considerable literature to indicate that mentoring relationships support the healthy development of children and youth by reducing risky behaviors, and the number of mentoring programs has increased dramatically in recent years. This California Research Bureau report examines the research literature evaluating the effectiveness of…

This document reports on findings that describe the characteristics of delinquent males and the resources available to them for social skills building in the Washington, D.C. area. The study looked at the types of delinquent behavior found among boys living in the three most violent neighborhoods in Washington, and the role played by families,…