This thesis describes the implementation of a cross-age program to reduce negative classroom behavior and promote community identity among students in elementary and middle schools in Rockford, Illinois. The targeted population consisted of elementary school students with learning disabilities and seventh- and eighth-grade middle school students.…

This double issue of "The Evaluation Exchange" focuses on one of the central components of complementary learning: family involvement. As outlined in the Theory & Practice article, investments in family involvement are important across ages and settings and through the co-constructed efforts and shared responsibilities of many…

This report presents findings from a national examination of the organizations that sponsor, oversee and hold accountable U.S. charter schools. Its primary aim is to describe and characterize these crucial but little known organizations: What do they look like? How big are they? How do they go about their work? The results of this inquiry is a new…

Spurred by federal and state mandates for improved performance, school districts across the country have become adept at establishing districtwide goals to raise student achievement. They have identified learning gaps among various student populations and now seek to close them. They have targeted improved performance in reading or math by grade…

This study explores novice teachers' experiences as team leaders for school-community partnerships. Six focal teachers who were enrolled in an MA program in teacher development and leadership were recruited for the study. The focal teachers volunteered to serve as leaders of a reading-focused community involvement activity as members of their…

For students with intellectual disabilities and their families, planning for the transition from school to adult life can be a complicated process. Successful planning is sometimes made more challenging when post-school options and opportunities are not well known or understood. The purpose of this study is to seek out the perspectives of…

The series "Self-instructional Notes on Social Participation" is a six volume series intended as teaching aids for adult educators. The theoretical, methodological, informative and practical elements of this series will assist professionals in their work and help them achieve greater success. The specific purpose of each notebook is…

This paper explores the implications of an effort to promote service learning in two middle schools in the Palo Alto (California) Unified School District. The schools are grades six through eight with about 1,000 students in each. The paper describes seven service efforts and then analyzes the costs and benefits of these projects. The study…

This publication is intended to serve as a resource for K-12 social studies teachers charged with the major responsibility of making peace and law-relaed concepts meaningful to students. The purpose of this resource book is to empower teachers and students in Hawaii with the concepts of peace and law. It seeks to foster dialogue between and among…

This manual provides assistance for Head Start managers and caregivers in providing support for substance-abusing families. The manual builds on the Head Start Substance Abuse Circle of Capacities continuum, which addresses areas of: (1) staff preparation and support; (2) prevention and family wellness; (3) early intervention, referral, and…

The teaching guide and the videotape it complements are designed to help students define and discuss civic responsibilities. The thirty-two minute videotape takes a case-study approach toward understanding civic responsibility. The video identifies some of the attitudes and feelings people have towards problems in American society and then gives…

This report describes programs implemented by United Indian Nations, Inc. (UIN), based in San Francisco, California. UIN is a community-based, nonprofit agency managed by American Indians. Since 1979, UIN has promoted the economic self-sufficiency and self-determination of the more than 40,000 Indian people residing in the San Francisco Bay area.…

This case study of a higher education policy-making process tested a conceptual model based on a combination of political systems, behavioral power, and influence theories. The study, which followed the course and outcomes of a branch campus policy formulated in Washington state over a four-year period (1985-89), sought to show that the ability of…

Why, despite society's common understanding of the problems of children, have individuals failed to act decisively and powerfully to bring them security and hope? This report, which includes articles excerpted and adapted from presentations and discussions at a 1996 symposium, addresses this question. After an introduction by Rosalynn Carter, the…

This lesson plan for the first grade uses information on transportation, with sub-themes of communities and careers, to provide history/social science education for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in San Diego, California. Activities and materials from the State scholastic science kit are also used, as are songs, poems, music, and games.…