Teachers and administrators are not adequately prepared to address the range of children's social and psychological needs but must rely on parental and community assistance. Instead of merely referring students to social services and health departments, schools must become multiple-service brokers and forge broad community alliances to protect and…

This article describes the Summer Work Experience Program developed by 3 agencies in Dallas, Texas, for students (ages 14-18) with visual impairments. The article describes student training; expectations for employees; attitudes of students, parents, and employers; and problems encountered. (JDD)

This article describes a model project for promoting interagency collaboration at state and local levels to facilitate transitions of young special needs children and their families from infant/toddler programs to preschool programs. Project Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools (STEPS) has four major components: interagency…

The breakdown of traditional families and increasing numbers of at-risk children have greatly increased need for building collaborative networks to reduce disabling risk factors. Building children's resilience involves reducing overall vulnerability, reducing impact of emotional stressors, increasing resources available to provide for interagency…

Describes the general characteristics of family support programs in North America. Summarizes the rationale for such programs. Describes an example of a support program, the family resource centers in Canada. Outlines such key planning considerations as the diversity of today's families, needs assessment, program variety, and cultural relevance.…

The Coimbra Early Intervention Project was undertaken in Portugal to develop the first coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency program involving health care, education, and social service, using existing resources in the community. The program now operates regionwide and supports more than 100 families and children with disabilities or at…

Educational services provided to 14 children (ages 8 to 14) with head injuries in the United Kingdom before and after their return to school were analyzed. The organization of services and the provision of accurate information, training, and communication among different agencies are all found to be inadequate. (Author)

After many years of competition to represent teachers, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers are finding common concerns and increasing numbers of cooperative ventures. Some local unions have merged; a general merger, in the interest of improving education, is being considered. (MSE)

If the growing proportion of special-needs students is to receive the benefits of expanded and integrated social support systems, educational leaders must coordinate school activities with other community services. The situation calls for a radical reconfiguration of public service financing, with rewards for those who effectively coordinate…

the National Advisory Committee on Accreditation and Institutional Eligibility is criticized by various groups for doing and saying too much or too little. Current controversial issues on its agenda include loan defaults, shoddy trade schools, and treatment of minority students and faculty. The committee's role in some areas is also unclear. (MSE)

To address the district's pregnant-student dropout problem, the Memphis City Schools initiated the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP), in cooperation with several community agencies. The program provides comprehensive services and an incentive program to ensure students' progress toward graduation. According to this program evaluation, the APP has…

Elements in the effort to make the annual Nova University (Florida) audit more time efficient included gaining agreement with the auditors for a specific closing date; coordinating efforts of various departments involved; identifying and eliminating major obstacles; streamlining procedures when needed; and continuous coordination and monitoring of…

The transition of children between the two programs of Public Law 99-457, serving children aged birth through two and age three through five, can impact on state administration and local agency administration of the programs. Recommendations are provided for facilitating the family's and child's transition and ensuring continuity in services.…

The 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act catapulted a "backwater" state to leadership prominence in structural reform. Grounded on school-readiness and community-involvement precepts, KERA links schools and social service agencies and provides family resource/youth services centers to coordinate social service delivery for preschool…

Mary Joe Bane, assistant secretary for child and families, Department of Health and Human Services, discusses her goals for Head Start; how Head Start will be affected by collaboration efforts between child care and pre-K programs, health care reform, and the National and Community Service Trust Act; and major changes in store for Head Start…