Planning to meet the needs of the future is a critical concern of an Arizona school district. The Mesa Action Planning System (MAPS) provides a framework for community involvement with a 200-member community-based planning committee, selected from constituent groups, and a 12-member steering committee. The planning committee will receive a summary…

In 1985 the Urban League of Rochester organized an Education Initiative and held a series of Speak Out Forums and conferences for students, parents, educators, and the community to arrive at an answer to the question: What can be done to improve the academic performance of Rochester's students? This document contains the following papers pertinent…

This book examines the current school reform debate as a product of tension between elitist and egalitarian goals for education. Chapter 1, "Making Choices," reviews issues in the current debate and provides a general outline of the book's argument. Chapter 2, "The Mission of Schooling," analyzes the reform debate in the context of resurgent…

Three small rural school districts in Montana and Wyoming used alternate school day scheduling to make time for staff and curriculum development inservice programs. The schedule of one short and four long days delivered the instructional time of 175 6-hour days each year. Benefits of alternate scheduling included time for regular inservice…

Pornography is an issue that is drawing increased attention from parents, teachers, church members, women's groups, and elected officials, and these groups are expressing concern about the effect pornography has on young people, families, and society as a whole. In response to public concern, this self-help education guide is designed for families…

Forty-five magnet schools in fifteen urban school districts were studied to find if magnet schools increase community participation in public education, what factors lead to increased community participation, and if there is a relationship between community participation and magnet school effectiveness. Major findings were the following: (1)…

Two bilingual education programs serving the Puerto Rican community of East Harlem in New York City were investigated to ascertain the degree and kinds of community participation in planning, implementation, and evaluation of bilingual programs. It was found that while there are formal structures in place for involving the community, such as a…

This report describes two studies completed by the Child Advocacy Commission of Durham, North Carolina. The Durham school system has one of the lowest retention rates of any system in the state. The studies were used to advocate for and help implement new and better dropout prevention strategies in their schools. The report also outlines the need…

Designed to promote the awareness and effectiveness of cross-generational programs that enrich learning experiences, this directory consists of an introduction, 64 descriptions of intergenerational programs that are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the town or city in which they operate, and an index of programs arranged by type of…

This paper investigates the role and function of child development/early childhood laboratories and examines the ways in which a laboratory's perspective on role and function may influence policy and practice. Roles are discussed in terms of instruction, service and research. Instruction in the laboratories may include: (1) demonstrating model…

The inclusion of more sociology related materials in the 8th and 9th grade civics curriculum can push the margins of civics education to a more broadly conceived notion of citizenry and make civics and sociology more relevant to students' lives. The goal should be to help students understand society, not the discipline of sociology. Sociology…

Chicano Spanish in not only a product of two languages, but also the influence of middle-class environment and immediate realities. These realities are much different from those in Mexico, even though they derive from it, having a strong relationship to all factors that constitute social level and status. Three principal dialects are: Tex-Mex,…

This paper describes the Hmong refugees in the United States, the state of their resettlement, and possible approaches to resettlement problems. Included are descriptions of the Hmong background and culture; orientation programs in refugee camps; processes and specific problems of Hmong resettlement; Hmong organizations; Hmong adjustment to…

The ineffectiveness of community boards as avenues for meaningful citizen participation in providing public human services may be traced to problems in service institutions, in communities, and in the boards themselves. In service institutions, community participation in the provision of services is discouraged by: (1) professionals' condescending…

This report addresses implementation of the maternal and child health (MCH) services block grant. Information concerning implementation was gathered from 13 states. At least one state was selected in every standard federal region, and, in total, the 13 states accounted for approximately 45 percent of all block grant funds and an equivalent portion…