Examines efforts to increase school effectiveness. Topics addressed are evaluation of effective schools research, successful school effectiveness projects, exemplary instructional interventions, process of school improvement and reform, cooperation with other institutions, magnet and alternative schools, school choice proposals, year-round…

Proposes a Marshall Plan for America to be implemented by the private sector and volunteer organizations as well as government. Goals related to improving the conditions in which U.S. minorities live are established for the business community, educators, and the African-American community. The African-American community must commit itself to…

Examines the privatized management of the complete urban public school system of Chelsea (Massachusetts), the first example of school system privatization in the country. The role of Boston University and resistance of the Latino population are studied, and implications for educational reform and minority politics are examined. (SLD)

Using survey and interview data from 78 junior high and high school students in an alternative school, studies the ways school structures affect the experience of at-risk students. Seven dilemmas attributable to familiar school structures are examined, and implications for restructuring schools are discussed. (SLD)

Examines some important noncognitive outcomes of school desegregation using national survey data. The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and other national studies show that desegregated schooling has a positive, statistically significant benefit for black students' later earnings and occupational attainment. (SLD)

A prototype collaborative communication model was employed in vocational, academic, alternative, and Job Corps classrooms serving students with communication inadequacies. Instruments for evaluation of work-force entry-level communication skills were developed, and support services targeting weaknesses were provided. Results have been positive at…

Reviews 36 studies of both model demonstration projects and large-scale public programs to examine the long-term effects of these programs on children from low-income families. Results show early childhood programs can produce significant short-term benefits on intelligence quotient, and important long-term benefits on school achievement, grade…

Argues that the current world situation, marked by violence, inequity, and social upheaval, demands that teachers bring a more enlightened and committed approach to their classes. Advocates implementing education as a tool for empowerment and social change. Includes several diagrams of curricular models. (MJP)

Argues that schools need to provide greater diversity of services to children, thus strengthening academic achievement. Case studies are highlighted, indicating that schools need to create a foundation for personal growth and achievement that includes services not only for the children but for their families and communities. Recommendations for…

Rural job growth remains behind that of metro areas, hindering efforts to move welfare recipients into successful employment. Those most in need of public assistance have less education, lower earnings, and higher unemployment than average. Welfare recipients are concentrated in rural areas marked by chronic economic distress and low-skilled,…

The School Improvement Grants Program is a British Columbia-based action research project to support efforts to raise literacy and math skills in public schools serving low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. The program--which provides $25,000 in planning and implementation grants for each participating school over 2.5 years--began in 2001 and…

This study critically examined the factors influencing public attitudes toward teacher education in Nigeria. It analysed a series of nationwide surveys of negative public attitude toward the teaching profession using parents and prospective university students as respondents. A questionnaire made up of 12 items was used to gather data on public…

We examined the effectiveness of the PATHS curriculum in a magnet elementary school serving a distressed urban area. Aspects of social-emotional competence were examined for second graders who had, and had not, received the PATHS intervention. The intervention groups differed, with the control group having lower social-emotional competence than…

Single-sex public schools are seen as a vehicle for improving the educational experiences of low-income and minority students. Our two-year ethnographic study of low-income and minority students who attended experimental single-sex academies in California indicates that improving achievement involves more than separating students by gender. Using…

A high prevalence of dental caries in the pediatric population is a major health problem. At highest risk are low-income minority groups, including refugee and immigrant populations. Consequences of oral disease include pain, difficulty eating and speaking, poor school performance, and poor self-esteem. Parent involvement in oral health education…