This book tells the stories of four urban middle schools that have undergone deep transformation while participating in the Middle Grades Improvement Program (MGIP), an initiative that has nurtured fundamental change in school climate, structure and classroom practice in 16 urban districts and 65 schools in Indiana. The support of the Lilly…

The results of a two-day skill laboratory on creating community support for educational change is reported in eight chapters. Participants focused on creative solutions to problems of school-community relations. Four concerns identified included the need to 1) recognize the pressures for accountability procedures and reports; 2) collaborate with…

Polish folk high schools are modeled after schools developed in the mid-1850s in Denmark to provide general, non-credit education for young adults in rural areas. The main objectives of the folk high schools are to provide a climate for individual student development and to serve as centers where young adults can learn about their cultural…

The roles of cultural practice and informal learning in young people's transitions to work and adulthood were explored in case studies of performing arts programs in Mannheim, Germany; Liverpool, England; and Lisbon, Portugal. Expert interviews, participant observation, and documentary analysis were conducted to explore how the pedagogical model…

In this monograph, a view of the basic nature of the career education effort is discussed under the following topics: the basis of need for career education; the meaning and goals of career education; the difference between career education and vocational education; career education and basic academic skills; career education and career…