Mentoring programs enrich children's lives, help meet their need for positive adult contact, and provide one-on-one support and advocacy. Positive mentoring experiences have proved to be an effective tool to help youth overcome the risk factors that can lead to problems such as educational failure, dropping out of school, and involvement in…

Described is the career education approach used in the Savona, New York, school system, which includes a five-part career education planning model. Broader-based community efforts in career education provide the framework within which school programs are developed. (CT)

The collaborative efforts between a school and its community can profoundly influence educational effectiveness. An examination of the relationship between schools and their communities, with an emphasis on exploring how some schools work effectively with parents, agencies, and businesses to form sustainable partnerships, is offered in this…

The school dropout rate is a problem which educators cannot solve alone. It will take a total societal effort to design solutions. This document presents the ideas and strategies discussed at a conference on dropout prevention attended by leaders of national education organizations. Theoretical as well as practical suggestions are given to begin…

Described are characteristics of the Employer-Supported Parental Involvement in Education program (ES/PIE), designed to foster collaboration between education agencies and employers. An overview of the program details basic assumptions, core activities, and the roles of school districts and employers. Subsequent content provides a guide to program…

This training manual documents planning and procedures employed in the development of a coordinated, comprehensive, year-long inservice library training program designed to stimulate and motivate the habit of library usage by students and teachers in the rural poverty area of Holmes County, Mississippi. Participants in the program included…

Cultural and linguistic diversity is increasing, and ESOL (English speaker of other languages) students are often at risk for academic failure. School boards' and administrators' legal and fiscal decisions should be based on valid research and detailed accounts of effective programs. Chapter 1 considers the history of structural responses to ESOL…

This guide presents a five-step approach to planning, conducting, and evaluating a community-school health advisory council. The five steps are: (1) convening an advisory council (learning about community-school health advisory councils, obtaining support from the school district, identifying potential members, organizing and conducting the first…

The educational objective of this user's guide is to provide parents, teachers, and administrators with a resource to catalyze a wide range of partnerships and projects. Schools work best when everyone is actively involved so as to demonstrate democracy first hand. This program is designed to promote the democratic process of active citizenship in…

In 1993, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation to encourage schools to implement extended services to meet the needs of students, giving at-risk students first priority. In this manual, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction explains how extended services can be implemented at the school level. It identifies and…

This pamphlet suggests what to evaluate in a school-business partnership, how to evaluate it, and how to determine whether a partnership has made a difference. The section called "Why Evaluate?" lists six questions to which evaluation frequently yields the answers. The next section explains the purpose of four steps in preparing to evaluate…

The booklet suggests approaches and methods to help the teacher or program leader maximize students' learning from their community involvement. The purpose is to provide practical suggestions for encouraging young people to reflect on their participation in the community programs. The suggestions will help secondary students think about their…

This handbook uses a Title IX Ethnic Heritage Studies Project conducted in Illinois as a model for suggesting methods and approaches that might be used by school personnel in introducing multicultural studies to a school community setting. Specific strategies are outlined and described for the following areas: (1) funding; (2) staff training; (3)…

The purpose of this guide is to offer guidance to community leaders from the arts, education, business, civic, and government sectors who seek to combine their talents and resources in partnerships to address the arts and arts education needs of the young people of their community. The guide draws on and summarizes the knowledge and experience of…

This report is designed to assist communities engaged in or contemplating initiatives focused on at-risk youth. Much of the information comes from evaluations of the Communities in Schools, SafeFeatures, and Children at Risk initiatives. Brief descriptions of experiences or practices of the community programs are used to illustrate points made or…