Examines problems that can occur when research is conducted in culturally diverse communities. The commentary comes from experiences conducting research in a particular African American community. The paper argues that understanding the nuances of appropriate cultural interaction, public discourse, and private meaning are all vital components in…

Discusses the Close Up Foundation's sponsorship of social studies students' trips to Washington, D.C. Describes one school's experience of planning and financing the trip, as well as its public forums and club for students to gain experience in politics and citizenship. Reports a study of Close Up participants, their political attitude…

Describes two middle schools (IS 218 in New York City and Hanshaw School in Modesto, California) that stand out as models of how to put together innovative schooling plus help children and their families by providing health and social services on site. Both schools are located in poverty neighborhoods and enroll mostly students from disadvantaged…

Reviews the literature on education to reduce prejudice, and advocates a whole-school approach to countering racism and promoting equity. Urges comprehensive reforms in curriculum; classroom practices and teaching methods; teacher attitudes, behaviors, and expectations; hiring and promotion practices; racial harassment policies; student-assessment…

Considers key issues that schools, school districts, and other agencies need to address when planning a home visiting program to promote collaboration between home and school. Essential goals are defined, and the skills that home visitors need are explored. Home visiting programs are viewed as a developing process. (SLD)

Investigates role expectations of school board members making decisions about curriculum and social programs to gain insight. Results from a national sample of 293 school board members indicate that region and school size interact to affect perceptions of community involvement, superintendent recommendations, and responses on all variables. (SLD)

This article examines American and Australian school principals' fundamental values regarding the purpose of schools. It also illustrates their views on school reform and the role of the principal in reform, and compares their visions of the purpose of schools--the ideal schools in the 21st century. Data reveal that the majority of American and…

This report sets forth a framework of essential supports and contextual resources for school improvement, examines empirical evidence on its key elements and how they link to improvements in student learning, and investigates how a school's essential supports interact with community context to affect student learning. The purpose of this research…

This special issue of the Family Resource Coalition Report presents personal experiences and reflections regarding parent involvement and leadership in family support. Articles in this issue are: (1) "The Vaughn Family Center: It's My Story" (Jorge Lara and Matt Oppenheim); (2) "Asking the Right Questions is Key to Developing Parent…

This issue presents 11 research papers submitted by students: (1) "An Exploration of Problem-Behavior Theory" (Casey Ann Reeves); (2) "HIV/AIDS Prevention, Intervention, and Education Techniques Used within the American Indian Population" (Ursule R. Smith); (3) "Parent-to-Child Conflict Tactics in Late Adolescence"…

This lesson plan uses a poem about a specific battle as the starting point for a secondary educational sheltered/bilingual program for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in San Diego, California. The plan is to use primary and secondary documentation to view both sides of the battle that prompted the writing of the poem. Goals of the…

This study describes and analyzes how five communities in the northeastern United States have addressed the subject of school desegregation. Dayton (Ohio), Hartford (Connecticut), Rochester (New York), Trenton (New Jersey), and Wilmington (Delaware) share the experience of having increasingly large, poor, minority populations surrounded by mostly…

The 1992-93 Grade One Teacher Training Program was designed to provide first-grade classroom teachers an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of their initial instruction and first line of intervention so as to reduce the number of pupils needing a second level of intervention, such as the Reading Recovery or Early Literacy intervention…

This book compares small schools in various countries with large ones and offers cost effective strategies for small schools. Part I focuses on social, economic, and educational issues related to small schools. Small schools are beneficial to their communities as centers of social development. In addition, small schools have a more cooperative…

Noting that children of all socioeconomic levels are at risk for poor nutrition, and that hunger and poor nutrition in America are on the rise, this report reviews what is known about the link between nutrition and learning in children and between nutrition education and eating habits. It describes several federal and non-federal government…