This paper identifies some of the benefits and challenges that warrant consideration by families, educators, and dispute resolution practitioners as they create opportunities for students to participate in the mediation process. Perspectives and assumptions regarding student participation are captured and strategies are presented that may…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities, especially Hmong, Latinos, and Somalis, exhibit the lowest academic performance and participation rates on statewide tests of academic achievement required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). These challenges are even more acute for learners with disabilities among these groups and likely reflect the…

This document summarizes the proceedings of Head Start's Sixth National Research Conference on early childhood and family research. The first part of these proceedings compiles presentations from special sessions, including plenary sessions on promoting young childrens eagerness to learn in educational settings, self-regulation, and policies and…

A study used focus groups and interviews to examine dropout causes among Hispanic middle and high school students in Hillsborough County, Florida. Major contributors to Latino student success included personal motivation to succeed, supportive parents, and being interested and involved in school activities. Factors contributing to dropout included…

The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met) is a unique public high school in Providence, Rhode Island. The Met has no classes, no grades, no tests, and no easy rides. With guidance from adults, each student builds a customized education focused on five learning goals: communication, social reasoning, empirical reasoning,…

Kindergarten marks a new beginning for parents and their children, and presents challenges for parents as their child makes the transition between home and school. This handbook describes what parents can expect from their child's kindergarten program in Alberta, Canada. The handbook describes how young children learn, how their learning is…

The 19 chapters of this text on assessment in special education are divided into two parts. Part 1 discusses basic concepts in assessment in special education. Part 2 addresses the special education process by describing steps in the assessment continuum. Individual chapters examine the following topics: (1) an introduction to assessment; (2)…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally-funded program designed to meet the needs of high risk hearing impaired children with multiple handicaps from 0-2 years of age--a population not served at the time by local, state, or federal programs. The project's hypothesis was that the initiation of a "total…

The lack of resources devoted to educating Latinos in emerging immigrant communities is generating negative educational outcomes and de facto educational segregation in the South. While Latino immigrants continue to dominate employment in the meat processing, service, and construction sectors in these communities, they are underrepresented on…

This manual is designed to serve as a companion to the two professional development volumes: Volume I: "Human Development, Culture, and Cognition;" (see ED491608) and Volume II: "Language." (see ED491609) Its purpose is to support the presenter in preparing for and conducting classes or workshops. The manual contains activities and suggested…

Most studies of the early implementation of Chicago (Illinois) school reform have focused on the creation and early functioning of the Local School Councils (LSCs). This study is concerned with understanding the resources that different school communities have to embrace the LSC reform, the time frame needed to promote educational change, and the…

This publication features profiles of 25 outstanding school reform programs at Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. These innovative schools have captured various aspects of school reform that encompass more challenging, real world curricula; school-to-work transitions; new ways of assessing student achievement; higher order thinking and…

This paper discusses the difficulties that rural students on a Maine island encounter as they make the transition from a small local elementary school to a large distant high school. The elementary school is characterized by small class sizes, close nurturing teacher-student relationships, and the involvement of parents and families. When students…

This article reports on an investigation of African American families' perceptions of their experiences in an after-school involvement program at two inner city schools, one public and one Catholic, in partnership with a university. A sociocultural-based program model was used to facilitate documentation of family studies and to prepare preservice…