Despite the expressed need for high-quality science education, very little research has been conducted on what middle school science learning opportunities look like in practice. This study was conducted in support of "Strengthening Science Education in California", a research, policy, and communications initiative. Partners in this…

This project assesses the feasibility of creating a voluntary, nationwide data dictionary that can be used to standardize the reporting of postsecondary accountability reporting requirements for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (otherwise known as Perkins IV). Variables, field codes, and programming instructions,…

Dramatic changes in the higher education landscape and the recent recession have intensified the challenges students face in postsecondary enrollment and completion. In response, some states, communities, and institutions have developed "postsecondary opportunity programs (POPs)"--comprehensive college access and success programs…

This report seeks to raise awareness of the critical importance of chronic early absence, synthesize available data on the scope of the challenge, and share emerging insights about how schools and communities can use chronic early absence to identify and address challenges affecting the social, educational and physical well-being of children and…

Business is rightfully concerned about the education of youth, for the schools are educating the workers of tomorrow. How businesses in California are reaching out to schools to provide help for economics education is described. (RM)

The San Francisco Opera Guild sponsors the Operatunities Program which introduces elementary and secondary students in California to opera. For example, each year the Scholar Opera visits 130 schools from San Francisco to San Jose, exposing approximately 50,000 youngsters to the music and drama of opera. (RM)

Some American schools are providing students with conflict resolution skills as part of their education. Three elementary and secondary school mediation programs in Hawaii, New York, and California that help youngsters solve their own problems are described. (RM)

Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Fresno Unified School District cooperate to promote teacher education and use of SPCA materials in the classrooms. Timing, key persons, building/maintaining contact, teacher involvement, and mutual understanding, which have been important in this productive partnership,…

The "Olympic Heritage" year in California provides an excellent opportunity to motivate students to examine their heritage from ancient Greece and to advance cross-curricular coordination. The very successful 1981-82 "Shakespeare Year" program can be used as a model. A proposed Olympic project is described. (RM)

A professional development program for leadership, Coaching Leaders to Attain Student Success (CLASS), prepares individuals to coach new and experienced school principals. The program is the product of collaboration between the New Teacher Center at University of California Santa Cruz and the Association of California School Administrators. (MLF)

Discusses reforms of the traditional elementary school curriculum in the "History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve" (1987). Emphasizes a history-centered curriculum drawing widely on the social sciences and humanities and involving students in developmentally appropriate…

Publicity materials and a brief program description of the 1983 San Diego County (California) Academic Decathlon are presented. The program description discusses the background, subject coverage, and rules of the Academic Decathlon, a program to promote academic excellence among high school juniors and seniors through competition. The Academic…

California state-adopted commercial art and music instructional materials are described to aid state school districts in matching instructional materials with curriculum goals and objectives. Information is provided in three sections. An annotated index gives pertinent information about each program, including title, year of copyright, and grade…

In San Rafael (California) a series of assembly programs and art shows exposes students to cultural events. (JM)

The study was designed to develop an information base on education services to handicapped children and youth in California who are also limited in English proficiency (LEP) and to identify promising practices in their education. The first of three documents collected here is a report of the statewide questionnaire survey of a random sample of 145…