The Scholars-in-the-Schools program (SIS), previously known as Humanities-in-the-Schools (HIS), is designed to improve humanities education by placing humanities scholars in residence at a middle school or high school. The scholar works with teachers and students as a resource person in a variety of ways: as a curriculum consultant; lecturer;…

The California State Department of Education provides part-day comprehensive development programs for 3- to 5-year-olds from low income families. The programs include educational development, health services, social services, nutrition services, parent education and participation, evaluation, and staff development. The state requires that all…

California's Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program requires that large numbers of welfare recipients receive job training and preparation for employment. A survey of the program analyzed early operations in 8 of the first 10 counties to implement it; data were gathered from program staff, case records, and field research of the first…

This report outlines several critical issues that should be addressed in order to allow states to explore and understand relationships between the performance of ELL students on NAEP and on state assessments in this policy context. The results of this study can be useful to a variety of education stakeholders who are interested in improving the…

California Early Literacy Learning (CELL) and Extended Literacy Learning (ExLL) are professional development programs designed to help elementary teachers strengthen their teaching of reading and writing. Research-based teaching methodologies are organized into a framework for classroom instruction. CELL training (pre-K-Grade 3) emphasizes that…

There is at the present time a strong movement to include in the school curriculum more preparation for character education. The schools have long recognized their obligations in this respect, but more progress has not been made because they did not know how to bring it about. With the coming of trained psychologists, psychiatrists, and other…

In October 2002, the multiple and single subject credential programs at a large urban Los Angeles Basin California State University campus, were approved as Early Adopters of the SB 2042 Professional Teacher Preparation Program. These programs resulted from a complex and multi-faceted process of change supported and influenced by reform…

This report focuses on an effort by Los Angeles County to transform its welfare-to-work program, Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), from one that emphasized basic education to one focused on speedy entry into the work force. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the original program; reasons for a shift to a work-first model and description of…

The results of an exploratory study that investigated the range of programs available to limited English proficient (LEP) students in California secondary schools are addressed. The study consisted of several components: a telephone survey to 27 secondary schools that were demographically and regionally representative of California high schools…

The Child Development Project (CDP) was designed to enhance the development of prosocial characteristics in school children in kindergarten through sixth grade. It was developed and evaluated in a school district (San Ramon) in the San Francisco, California area. The features of the program include: (1) an instructional approach that enhances…

This document presents findings of a study that examined the extent to which middle-grade reforms in California actually affected the restructuring of middle-level education throughout the state. The California Middle Grades Task Force's report, "Caught in the Middle," led to the creation of the California Middle Grades Reform Model,…

Designed to help educators and policymakers consider the effective use of currently-evolving distance learning technologies, this policy brief examines: (1) the need for distance learning; (2) the most promising combinations of technologies (two-way television, one-way television with audio return, and audiographics); (3) the cost-effectiveness of…

This report is designed to assist members of a Program Quality Review (PQR) team in: (1) conducting a review of the effects of a middle school's curriculum, instructional methodologies, and effectiveness strategies on the students; (2) guiding the development of an action plan; and (3) providing a model for the school's own self-study. The report…

This manual for district and school health personnel contains guidelines to facilitate the planning and implementation of vision screening programs in California public schools so that all students may benefit from optimal use of their sense of sight. The major program objectives, the legal basis, minimum requirements, and authorized personnel are…

This paper contains the revised drug education guidelines for the state of California, which emphasize prevention of alcohol and drug abuse. The materials define school-based alcohol and drug abuse prevention programming as a comprehensive process that not only provides students with accurate information about alcohol and drugs, but also enhances…