Issues addressed in this report on a 4-day conference in Exeter, New Hampshire, by 200 women educators from independent schools across the country include the actual and potential role of schools in eliminating sex discrimination and preparing women for leadership positions at all levels. (JBM)

A review of factors diminishing instructional time concludes with the estimate that less than 30 percent of the average school day is devoted to instruction. Rather than extending the school day or year, more efficient time management and reevaluation of the urgency of noninstructional activities are recommended. (MJL)

This brief describes two exceptional model programs for adjudicated youth with disabilities: Woodland Hills Residential Facility in Duluth, Minnesota and the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Walter McGinnis High School in Red Wing, Minnesota. The brief shares best practices from research about these programs as well as insight, commentary, and…

The paper reviews a select body of literature that focuses on the role of teachers, schools, and communities at the local level in creating quality education in less-developed countries. The review asserts that understanding what is happening in schools and classrooms is a precondition for shaping more effective quality improvement strategies.…

Saint Petersburg College (SPC) (Florida) has begun to enroll students in bachelor's degree programs in education and technology management, and a B.S. program in nursing. This article presents critics' arguments against community colleges offering bachelor's degrees, suggesting that community college B.A.s are inferior degrees, and that offering…

Latinas' educational experiences are affected by the interaction of many factors, including poverty, racism, sexual harassment, and lack of English language proficiency. With guidance from educators, Latina adolescents can make fulfilling educational choices. This digest presents a range of strategies that schools can employ to promote Latinas'…

The Office of National Drug Control policy has put together this guide to assist educators, parents, and community leaders in determining whether student drug testing is appropriate for their schools. The aim is to provide anyone considering a drug-testing program in his or her community with a broad understanding of the issue and solid,…

An influenza (flu) pandemic is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new flu virus appears that can spread easily from person to person. Although it is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, effects can be lessened if preparations are made ahead of time. The illness rates for both…

There are two contemporary urban reform thrusts working in parallel, one being the move toward coordinated children's services through the public schools (full-service schooling), and the other a press toward the economic and social regeneration of poor neighborhoods. The interest in a much-broadened mission for the public school (toward…

Many of the educational changes during the last decade are international in respect to both form and content. Behind the global flow of ideas and ideologies, there is an accelerated competition for positions at the marketplace. The role of education in the new liberal rhetoric is explicitly to give direct and substantial economic results.…

This book describes ways in which schools can rewrite the social/educational contract so that more and more of the population can be educated at higher standards. The book advocates a new way of thinking about education, beginning with the notion that all children can learn. In order to craft a new system, schools must develop an aim and they must…

The four issues of this journal, written entirely in Spanish, are intended for reading teachers. The first issue focuses on the role of school in the development of readers and writers and contains articles discussing the results of an investigation into the validity of the idea of "level" when measuring students' comprehension of…

Afterschool programs are increasingly viewed as one viable way of bridging the gap between the end of the school day and the time parents get home from work. This digest briefly discusses why afterschool programs are needed, what potential benefits may be, what challenges may affect the viability of programs, what factors are identified with…

This report captures the essence of four schools in four different communities participating in a study on young immigrant children in U.S. schools. The schools were selected from a national network of schools implementing the Schools of the 21st Century (21C) program, which provides a range of services such as child care, health care, home…

The educational experiences of Latinas are affected by the interaction of many factors, including poverty, racism, sexual harassment, and lack of English language proficiency. This Spanish-language digest presents a range of strategies that schools can employ to promote the academic achievement of Latinas. Schools should communicate that Hispanic…