This paper examines the concept of "empowerment" and analyzes contrasting perspectives on the empowerment of parents that have informed developments at national and local levels in the United Kingdom and also in the United States and other countries. Empirical data illustrate the limited impact these approaches have on a group of…

This report describes the first 3 years of three Excellent Beginnings projects from 1991 to 1994 funded by the Plan for Social Excellence, a private nonprofit foundation that creates or supports innovative pilot projects in education. Programs that are flexible and responsible to needs of individuals and communities, rather than system-wide…

Kentucky high schools are attempting to address requirements of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA). This study was conducted to collect and interpret data related to the implementation of high school restructuring and make recommendations. Thirty-three schools were invited to participate based on categories of restructuring,…

Milwaukee's Highland Community school was opened in 1968 as an independent school (and is still funded mostly by donations) to provide a quality Montessori education and nurturing environment for economically and culturally diverse groups of families on the city's economically depressed Near West Side. Governed by a 9-member parent board of…

This guide, which includes both English and Spanish versions, discusses parent involvement policies, which explain how the school district or the school itself supports the important role of parents in the education of their children. Every school district that receives money from Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act, the federal aid…

This guide, which includes both English and Spanish versions, explains that a compact is a written statement of what schools and parents are supposed to do to help students achieve. Each school that receives money from the Title I program must have a compact. Title I is the federal aid program that provides funds for extra educational services for…

This guide, which includes both English and Spanish versions, explains that a school profile is like a report card for a school. It tells how students are achieving and what the school is doing to help all students achieve. Each school that receives money under Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act, the Federal aid program that provides…

This bulletin presents an overview of strategies that practitioners identify as methods of increasing young women's access to and success in school-to-work programs in nontraditional occupations. These strategies are discussed: outreach to female students; career information and advising; training for teachers and counselors; math and science…

This compilation of 19 articles provides ideas and solutions for creating and improving family, community, and school partnerships. A broad variety of topics are covered including: (1) ideas for celebrating American Education Week; (2) 10 tips for family reading; (3) reading aloud to older children; (4) using take-home folders to inspire…

A program was developed to create a positive school climate in a multiethnic school to reduce conflict among students. The targeted population consisted of students in kindergarten through grade six in a school in a low socioeconomic environment in a rural community in northern Illinois. The majority of the school's 309 students were White, but…

The case study of the restructuring of an urban elementary school in Los Angeles (California), the Murchison Street School, in partnership with California State University is described. Of the school's 1,050 students, 67% were eligible for Chapter I funding at the start of the restructuring initiative. Over 3 years, parents, teachers, the…

An extensive research project to develop a national strategy to prevent juvenile offending was undertaken in South Africa. The following proceedings of a workshop, which involved representatives of relevant organizations, are reported in this book: "Setting Goals" (Lorraine Glanz); "The Prevention of Juvenile Offending: Problems and…

This evaluation report describes the first year of an innovative attempt by three Chicago-area high schools, IBM, and Ameritech to introduce computing and telecommunications resources into the educational environment. Information presented in this project report was gathered by the evaluation team in over 32 day-long site visits to the schools,…

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) provides tax support for children from low-income families to attend private schools. It is administered by the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction, although lack of administrative support for the program has been apparent. In addition, the Superintendent of Public Instruction has expressed…

The State Bilingual Education Program and the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 Migrant Education Program are used to meet the special education needs of bilingual and migrant students in the Saginaw (Michigan) city school district. These programs operated at 24 elementary schools, 4 junior high schools, and 2 high…