A 1993 National Study of High School Restructuring surveyed principals of 3,380 high schools concerning restructuring elements being used. Although 10-15% of U.S. schools are being restructured, few are simultaneously employing key elements (performance standards, authentic assessment, interdisciplinary curriculum, school-based decision making,…

This description of the School Development Program of J. Comer at Valencia Park Center for Academics, Drama, and Dance in San Diego (California) is accompanied by an interview with E. Joyner. The approach focuses on nurturing students, parents, and teachers, rather than on weaknesses or deficits. (SLD)

Reports on a three-year study of the operational and formal curricula in the visual arts, music, drama, and dance. Discusses three operational types of art education: (1) the "little intervention" model; (2) the production-oriented curriculum; and (3) the guided-exploration orientation. (CFR)

Develops a framework for promoting effective coaching, in the sense of encouraging children's achievement, in community settings for children of different ages. Effective coaches perform the following tasks: (1) teach; (2) assess performance; (3) structure the learning environment; and (4) provide social support. (SLD)

Leaders from business, education, churches, government, and the nonprofit sector in Multnomah County (Oregon) started eight Caring Communities, collaborative programs dedicated to 100% high school completion. Although each has its own emphasis, all support and coordinate other groups' efforts to help poor and minority students succeed. (TD)

Using a participatory-collaborative research design, nine Canadian-Native college students were interviewed to evaluate a two-week community-based course that uses Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to study environmental issues and impacts from Indigenous perspectives. Discusses issues in hands-on learning in First Nations communities,…

Apartheid policies adversely affected the health and social status of South African children. South Africa adopted the conceptual framework of the health promoting schools network (HPSN) to address school health comprehensively. The HPSN emphasizes school environment, community involvement, policy development, and appropriate health and social…

The Annenberg Rural Challenge believes that high academic standards can help achieve excellence, but can also be exploited to serve other political purposes. Standards should originate in the community. The policy statement discusses three kinds of standards, the dangers of standards, and the relationship between high standards and educational…

Describes the process of building partnerships between Aboriginal communities and the University of Northern British Columbia at the levels of both institutions and persons, focusing on collaborative development of a First Nations Studies curriculum. Argues that overtly participatory methodologies have enhanced the collaborations' success,…

Discusses a teacher education course based on an action research project in Brazil. The article demonstrates how the project was refocused towards the study of cross-cultural interaction and describes the recasting of cross-cultural misunderstandings to serve the agenda of the local Guarani teachers. (16 references) (Author/CK)

Presented a theoretical framework for understanding how community service affords opportunities for stimulating identity development in adolescents. Found that service experience can stimulate reflection on society's political organization and moral order and reflection on the adolescent's role in making that order change to reflect the student's…

The Flying Dust First Nation, Meadow Lake (Saskatchewan) School Division, community members, and students formed a community school council that operates all area tribal and public schools. The council is fully inclusive of First Nations people and is dedicated to inclusive, culturally relevant education that integrates community services within…

The aim of this study was to assess how the introduction of new service policies in the United Kingdom--such as person-centered planning and the active development of support networks--was impacting the lives of carers of people with intellectual disability from South Asian backgrounds. Using a semistructured interview schedule, 19 families of…

To identify the changes associated with the school turnaround process, this article reviewed 15 case studies of elementary school turnaround initiatives that sustained improvements for at least two years. Changes were clustered into eight categories: leadership, school policy, programs, organizational processes, staffing, classroom practices,…

The current wave of educational reform includes an emphasis on family and community involvement as a strategy for school improvement. Yet, to effectively engage families and communities in the educational process, educators need assistance and support. In 1996, the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) was established to build the…