Asset mapping involves documenting tangible and intangible resources of a community viewed as a place with assets to be preserved and enhanced, not deficits to be remedied. Kretzmann and McKnight (1993) are credited with developing the concept of asset-based community development (ABCD) that draws on appreciative inquiry; recognition of social…

This book explores the embodied narrative knowledge that educators hold and express in context and call forth in situations. It is about teachers and principals living and telling and reliving and retelling stories intuitively developed around metaphors borrowed from classical literature, music, drama, mythology, and children's literature to…

This study examined how the experiences of African-American and white students in a partial French immersion second grade classroom in Louisiana differed from the experiences of students in a regular education classroom. It focused on students' perceptions of themselves and others, students' interactions with their teacher and peers, parental…

How kids spend summer vacation has a direct and powerful impact on their success in school. This document presents 8 brief (600-word) newspaper columns that offer parents simple tips on how to promote learning through everyday activities. Each column ends with a referral for free resources to keep children learning outside the classroom. The…

This publication discusses education reform and the movement toward standards and assessments and its impact on students with disabilities. It is designed to provide parents with information about changes in assessment and graduation criteria, and assist parents in investigating the changes happening in their districts and states. Different…

This analysis of a survey of state directors of special education concerning special education outcomes highlights the following findings: (1) more students with disabilities are participating in statewide testing and states are better at documenting actual numbers participating; (2) high stakes attached to school or district performance and lack…

This digest discusses comprehensive training planning for students with disabilities and ways educators can facilitate the involvement of students with disabilities in helping to formulate the Individualized Transition Plan component of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Strategies for encouraging student participation include: (1) begin…

Noting that young children have a natural sense of what is and is not fair, this guide is intended to help teachers develop an anti-bias curriculum using children's sense of fairness to guide them toward social activism. The book provides stories of children's experiences as activists, coupled with first-person accounts of teachers' experiences…

This study examined the reciprocal influence between parenting style and parental involvement in schooling practices and adolescent autonomy over a 2-year period. Participating in the study were 872 adolescents with a mean age of 14.5 years at Time 1 and attending 5 French-speaking public high schools in Quebec, Canada. From the initial cohort,…

Although parents are often very busy with work and family responsibilities, there are many things they can do to help their school-age children learn and develop. This Spanish-language early childhood digest for parents provides tips obtained from parents of first and second graders in the School Transition Study on creative ways to stay involved…

This study examined the effects of using the Judicious Discipline (JD) program in one student teacher's classroom. The student teacher administered anonymous student surveys on discipline to his high school social studies class. He then introduced and discussed freedom, justice, and equality with his students and examined the concepts of rights…

A 3-year experiment evaluated the effectiveness of the Pyramid program, an educational program for young children from deprived situations and based on two concepts: psychological nearness (principles of attachment theory) and psychological distance (derived from developmental distancing, or the growing ability of a child to comprehend that an…

This guide is a planning tool for establishing Head Start-Parent Teacher Association (PTA) partnerships, building effective transition practices from preschool to kindergarten, and promoting continuity in parent and family involvement. Designed for use by coordinators of early childhood, parent involvement, and outreach activities, the guide can…

Intended for educators who work with or plan to establish a school-based enterprise (SBE) in their school, this guide provides tools and strategies to establish and operate an SBE that provides a context for students to learn a range of academic and career-oriented skills. Section 1 suggests steps educators can take to help their enterprise--an…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for increasing student motivation and interest in school to improve academic growth. The targeted population consisted of 37 high school students in a rural central Illinois community. Twenty-five students were in art classes and 12 were in child care classes. Anecdotal records,…