Provides overview of major initiatives in family literacy and argues for fundamental change in the way schools relate to parents and the community. Suggests that schools and communities need to develop more effective partnerships so that parents and teachers can develop a sense of shared understanding. Concludes that such initiatives will lead to…

Interviews were conducted with school administrators in six school districts identified as having increasing rates of retention in grade, transitional-grade placements, and identification of students as having disabilities. Virtually all explanations offered by the administrators placed the school outside the central sphere of influence and…

Preservice training partnerships between schools and universities can appear to be driven by the demands of external accountability. A Neo-Vygotskian model that incorporates understandings of teaching and learning is offered as a framework for preservice training partnerships. Data from a teaching school-university partnership program illustrate…

Summarizes the findings of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development's concluding report, including its recommendations for a generic approach to preventive interventions for adolescents. Proposes research opportunities suggested by the report, including biological aspects of adolescence, economic factors in adolescent development, time use…

Examines how Inter-American Foundation's grantees in Argentina are coping with the country's economic crisis of 2001. Describes community development projects in Indigenous regions, the role of urban schools as the only functioning public institution providing human services, literacy education in Patagonia, job training and support for…

Presents a spiritually based view of needs and potentials of children and youth, from birth through age 21, based on works of Rudolf Steiner, Sri Aurobindo Ghose, and Hazrat Inayat Khan. Focuses on their common vision of the true nature of human beings, the course of human growth, and the desired functions of child rearing and education.…

Development and achievement by children from single-parent families can be difficult. Various factors make divorce harder for children, but they can adjust, and teachers can help by keeping school from being one more problem (e.g,. being informed about what to expect in such circumstances and offering programs to relieve stress). (SM)

Discusses the incidence and consequences of child abuse. Examines issues involved in recognizing and reporting child abuse in schools. Covers the following aspects of the role of Child Protective Services: (1) intake and investigation; (2) supervision and treatment of children and families; (3) child placement and foster care services; and (4)…

Discusses ways in which kindergarten and primary teachers can maximize their role in meeting the special needs of young gifted children. A case study illustrates the situation. (BB)

Presents final two chapters of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) report, "Toward Civilization: A Report on Arts Education." Examines the part leaders in the governance, education, arts, and business-producer sectors can play in the cause of arts education and looks at the role of the National Endowment for the Arts. (LS)

Presents strategies for working with homeless students. Teachers must recognize the power of school, focus on family needs, provide academic aid, suggest help for the parents, and marshall all available forces. Teachers must also begin with each child's basic needs (food and clothing), enhance social skills, then work on attendance. (SM)

There has been a resurgence of concern for character education in schools because of the breakdown of the family and growing negative influences such as the mass media. Discusses how character education can be taught, who will teach it, the role of outdoor educators and the use of animals in teaching it, and accommodating differing cultural…

Reports on a study of students' perceptions of classroom environment and learning styles among 1,733 Singapore 10th-graders. Finds that school type had the most influence on the students' perceptions of both actual and preferred classroom environment. Also finds gender had lesser influence and learning styles had the least influence. (CFR)

Discusses the need for technology instruction in teacher education programs and describes a partnership among Western Kentucky University, four corporations, and three school districts that provided a technology center for Western Kentucky's College of Education. Roles of the participants are explained and the impact of the Kentucky Education…

The relationship between parent involvement and school choice was studied with 575 parents in urban Catholic, single-focus, and multiple-focus magnet schools. Religion, income, and ethnicity were important in understanding parents' reasons for school choice, and school type was a major factor in parent choice. (SLD)