Describes how the Community Education Services (CES) division of the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) works with parents, children, experts, and community groups to develop multimedia products. The role of formative research is discussed in the description of programs to teach emergency preparedness, and in the development of materials for…

Evaluates a five-year university-school partnership/dropout prevention program involving Fordham University's Graduate Schools of Education and Social Services and five New York City public schools with substantial minority populations. Results show that absenteeism declined significantly, child care conditions improved modestly, self-esteem…

Reports on a study of the attitudes of 542 students in grades 3-6 toward singing and choir participation in relation to grade level, gender, classroom singing activities, previous singing experience, and degree of singing skill. Finds that most subjects indicated a positive attitude toward singing, but less than half were interested in choral…

A multimethod study encouraged teachers, aided by supervisors, to examine their own teaching practices by viewing and discussing videotapes of their interactions with students. Results with four elementary school teachers, eight supervisors, and two observers indicate that the approach may facilitate teacher change and enhance effectiveness. (SLD)

Leaders from business, education, churches, government, and the nonprofit sector in Multnomah County (Oregon) started eight Caring Communities, collaborative programs dedicated to 100% high school completion. Although each has its own emphasis, all support and coordinate other groups' efforts to help poor and minority students succeed. (TD)

The General Secretary for the National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE) in the United Kingdom considers the place of environmental education in the curriculum. Argues that the inclusion of environmental education in the curriculum as a separate subject would add to the nightmare of the stand-alone subject curriculum. Suggests a…

The authors of an article on staff development for general education teachers serving students with learning disabilities respond to a commentary. They stress the involvement of teachers in the development and research process on Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) and Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS). They also note independent teacher…

Four different methods of teaching--cooperative learning, class discussions, concept maps, and lectures--were integrated into a freshman-level general chemistry course to compare students' levels of participation. Findings support the idea that multiple modes of learning foster the metacognitive skills necessary for mastering general chemistry.…

Discusses accomplishments of students in Miami Middle School and High School in northeastern Oklahoma, who with the help of teachers are linking their lived experience, school-based learning, and new-found activism through the medium of a service-learning project. Discusses the history of Tar Creek, now designated as the nation's worst…

The "at-risk" designation attached to low-achieving children frequently sets them up for failure. Remedial programs are often ineffective, and skill drills rob students of in-context reading opportunities. Models like Success for All are so prescriptive that students cannot participate in open-ended discussions of literature. Unjust…

Presents specific recommendations to prevent underachievement, including matching experienced teachers who have realistically high expectations with low-achievement students, reducing class size, establishing professional-development programs to assist teachers in learning effective ways to communicate with students and parents from diverse…

Explores the role of institutionalized violence in one young lesbian's decision to drop out of high school. Casting this young woman as a school failure masks the school's unwillingness to interrupt everyday practices (errors of alienation, omission, and repression) that diminished her sense of self and learning capacity. (29 references) (MLH)

This study used ethnographic methodology to evaluate the impact of mediation on transition outcomes of six persons with mild mental retardation. Strategies used by focal persons, their parents, and agencies/schools are discussed in relation to (1) empowerment and self-determination, (2) social dimensions of transition planning and "balanced…

Provides guidelines for fostering positive teacher-parent relationships. Discusses recent legislative mandates, how parent/teacher relationships are affected by current policy issues promoted by professional education organizations, and methods of constructive communication. Parents and teachers of students with learning disabilities are urged to…

A review of five types of bilingual programs finds that maintenance and dual-language programs best foster bilingualism, academic achievement, and cultural pluralism, but program implementation and organization also determine effectiveness. Input from bilingual teachers indicates that building administrators must develop and communicate a clear…