Researchers advise school boards to make academic standards everyone's business; narrow standards' grade- and school-level focus; make standards-based decisions; invest in highly qualified teachers; demand helpful, well-aligned assessments; approach accountability cautiously; and intervene to help struggling students. Online resources are listed.…

Discusses how community interest and involvement helps a new school reinvigorate an urban area. Community input into design and site selection, site improvements, interior elements, and construction management are addressed. (GR)

Effects of project participation were evaluated at two Johannesburg sites of "Growing Up in Cities"--a project that involves children in documenting and improving urban environments. Survey responses of participating children and their parents revealed increased awareness of the environment and community needs, better communication…

Describes Campus Compact, a national coalition of college and university presidents committed to helping students develop values and skills through public service. Reports that students are engaged in improving housing for the homeless, reading/writing tutoring, preserving the environment, mentoring, and alleviating hunger. States that one of the…

Discusses the status of charter schools in New Mexico, including curriculum and instruction, student achievement, effects of school size, school enrollment, facilities, financial management, compliance with rules and regulations, governance, parent and community involvement, satisfaction with charter schools, and impact on local school districts.…

Presents guidelines for establishing and maintaining Young Adult services in the library. Discusses identifying the needs of young adults; developing the collection; marketing; programming; school outreach; networking; community visits and raising community awareness; popular culture; staff support and training; and professional associations and…

The cultural resource specialist at Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska) explains the collaborative efforts of park staff and the Hoonah Tlingit to overcome language and cultural barriers in documenting park place names and clan oral history and traditions. The new park-community relationship, which follows decades of conflict, includes training…

A series of vignettes illustrates a variety of methods for implementing community-focused teaching and learning. Finding the curriculum in the community, going public with learning experiences, making the most of field trips, and participating in ongoing community events are strategies that promote integrated curriculum, involve community, and…

Describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an HIV prevention program promoting condom use among sexually active adolescents. It mobilized target communities to guide program development and implementation; created a mass media campaign to promote correct condom use; and recruited public agencies and organizations to distribute…

A Minnesota study showed that changing school starting times to accommodate adolescent sleep patterns profoundly affected many families. Implementation processes substantially influenced how families received changes. Policy makers should inform and involve all stakeholders, allow ample time, provide research-based justifications, support…

England's Education Action Zones are a flagship New Labour Party policy geared toward raising standards and reducing social exclusion in areas of academic underperformance. This article outlines the policy's key features, considers its broader significance as a governance model, and comments on issues confronting four different EAZ constituencies.…

Describes a collaborative community response coordinated by a local school health advisory board (SHAB) that addressed key findings from a youth risk behavior survey. Objective data helped focus school and community efforts, and the leadership of the SHAB successfully partnered a response with a number of community organizations. Surveys showed…

If libraries what influential people in their service areas to regard them as full partners in community building, libraries need to know their information needs before they do, and get the resources into their hands that will facilitate their decision-making before they realize they need it. Suggestions are provided for effective marketing of…

An explanatory mixed-methods design was used to evaluate a service-learning model on academic learning, personal and interpersonal development, and community-engagement for 59 service-learning students. A repeated-method ANOVA demonstrates that students improve their academic learning and participation in service but reduce their interests in…

This paper analyses community participation in Cambodian schools, looking at the spaces for participation and the cluster school system strategy adopted by the royal government to decentralise education. While institutionalised spaces of participation are relatively new, Cambodian communities have traditionally supported schools despite 25 years…