This paper addresses the nature of educational reform and recommends strategies to better reflect the needs of rural schools and their communities. The furor over education reform is largely produced by those who stand to gain from it, including politicians who promote their own agendas and consultants, professors, and experts who make a good…

The Centralia 21st Century Visioning Project was undertaken by the city of Centralia, in Washington, and Centralia College to determine a vision for the city for the next century based on citizen and business input. In summer 1994, the college conducted a survey of 185 businesses from the city's downtown core to gather retailers' perceptions on…

In 1990, approximately 130 million children ages 6-11 (60% girls) were not attending school, and 1 in 4 adults (two-thirds women) could not read or write. The World Conference on Education for All, held in Jomtien, Thailand, in March 1990, was convened to provide educators a forum for reflecting on this inequity in the state of education. The…

The CONSABE (Content Standards for Adult Basic Education) project has been a joint project of the San Diego Community College District and the National Institute of Literacy in Washington, D.C. to develop content standards for adult basic education (ABE). During the project, more than 350 adult students, business leaders, ABE teachers,…

This book offers a six-step process for eliciting broader community involvement with schools in order to improve students' educational environment. The need for changing traditional practices is discussed in chapter 1, which describes various ways to ensure equity and access while also rebuilding public confidence and support for schools. Chapter…

This publication discusses the future of university sport development in the United Kingdom in response to a report of the Department for National Heritage calling for revitalization of British sport at all levels. This report integrates findings and recommendations of a special task force, a government working party, and consultation papers of…

The Boston (Massachusetts) Public Schools present a comprehensive plan designed to bring all students to an acceptable level of mastery to meet state requirements or their own new higher standards. For the first time in decades, all the elements of school reform are in place, with public and administrative support. The primary goal of the Boston…

Educators today are challenged with building a communications system that promotes educational values while at the same time teaching children to cope with a chaotic information environment. This report examines how educators are grappling with the difficult interplay of technological change and educational values. It begins by reviewing the…

Texas is in the middle of criminal justice reform and a large prison construction program, but it has become apparent that no amount of reform will make a long-term difference unless the flood of young people entering the system can be stopped. Children in Texas are in trouble, and the future demands that priorities be reexamined to address…

Created in 1950, the Impact Aid program provides financial assistance to local education agencies (LEAs) in areas affected by federal activity. The program gives a direct general aid payment to LEAs that: (1) have lost local revenue as a result of land purchases by the federal government; (2) provide education to children who reside on federal…

Twenty-eight adult students and four adolescent students were interested in completing computer instruction in keyboarding in their own environment to gain skills and knowledge that would bring them up to date in the information age. The students who enrolled in the keyboarding course were assessed by timed writings, production applications, and…

The High School and Family Partnership Project began in 1991 with two urban, two suburban, and two rural high schools in Maryland to learn more about whether basic theories, frameworks, and practices of family, student, and community involvement are appropriate at the high school level; how schools can develop and implement such practices; and how…

This guide is designed as a tool to help members of the education sector involve community members in discussions about their local schools and learn how to become involved in the process of improving education in their community. The first half of the guide presents basic material for conducting a four- to seven-session discussion program based…

This document summarizes the deliberations of the Commonwealth Pacific Regional Workshop, which focused on the cost effectiveness of small schools. Advantages of small schools include equity for disadvantaged groups, opportunities for rural development, preservation of cultural traditions, and the potential for educational advantages. One task…

To develop a new mission statement for Pima Community College (PCC) in Tucson, Arizona, a "charrette" process was utilized, in which detailed community input was solicited and incorporated as part of the mission statement development. Approximately 100 representatives of the greater Tucson community, together with PCC staff, developed…