This year's report examines the critical role community plays in education. Integrating learning that takes place inside and outside of school has always been a powerful strategy to support student success, but it gained special relevance this year, as school closures made family and community members integral parts of students' daily learning.…

This brief explores some of the evidence supporting approaches to family engagement that are effective methods of improving academic achievement. It also includes an overview of different types of family engagement, including case study examples of promising practices and recommendations for parents, school personnel, program officials, and…

This article is a reflection of English teaching in Chiclayo, Peru, at a not-for-profit cultural center. It starts with a brief explanation of the authors' desire to help transform the community through English teaching. The article then explains the concept of civic education and offers a three-tiered approach that has been designed to help the…

Describes intergenerational programs, usually in cities, that bring older adults into the schools and afterschool programs. These programs show senior citizens the many good qualities of children today and demonstrate for children that older adults still have much to contribute. (SLD)

Recognizing senior citizens' importance to the community and its schools, the Marion County (Florida) Public School District determined to improve older adults' involvement. Activities included a senior advisory council, an annual school-visiting event, and computer-assisted instruction for older adults. Another initiative, "100…

As California's youth culture yields to gray power, school administrators will be challenged to provide youth programs in an atmosphere of growing hostility and increased demands for services to the elderly. This article provides a sample action plan and issues brief to help educators involve older adults in school-based programs. (MLH)

According to Irene Dixon-Darnell, a 75-year-old great-grandmother who runs a chess-education program in the Washoe (Nevada) County Schools, chess can win-over some difficult students. She believes the ancient game of strategy teaches children to focus, encourages them to think critically and creatively, and even cures emotional wounds. Research…

The North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement promotes the concept of retirement as an active fulfilling time of community service and learning. The center offers college for seniors, matches retired professionals with students as mentors and tutors, brings retirees and community leaders together, and sponsors an annual seniors wellness day.…

Describes a literature conference for the Harlem community on choosing and using self-affirming books for African American children. Describes Grandma's Place, a literacy and parent support center with an array of multicultural literature. Describes programs and activities that seek to support literacy, strengthen the family, and provide access to…

This guide is designed to encourage the participation of seniors in the classroom by engaging young and old in joint ventures to reconstruct artistically their own, their families', and their communities' cultural heritage in writing, theater, and visual arts projects. Intended for both teachers and artists working in the schools, the book…

Describes the explosion in intergenerational programs linking school children and seniors in Ontario and in other Canadian provinces. Discusses program benefits, form and content of programs, service-reciprocity programs, age segregation in today's society, and social context for the increase in programs. United Generations Ontario is dedicated to…

This document describes the intergenerational project conducted in the Cedar Falls Public School System (Iowa) that involved senior citizens and youths in a learning and sharing process. The county-based extension service supported by faculty at Iowa State University assisted in the recruitment and training of senior citizen volunteers.…

A large portion of the general public, including senior citizens, feels disconnected from local schools. Some seniors see little reason to support tax increases to provide public education's programs and services. Highland Park Learning Center, in Roanoke City, Virginia, has brought retirees back with an innovative program that teaches basic…

Defining service learning as the formal integration of public service into student instruction and learning, this guide provides teachers with ideas for narrowing the gap between what students do in school and what they will do after they leave school. The example activities, derived from actual projects, demonstrate the nearly limitless range of…

Community-based family support and educational programs provide services to families during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood that are intended to improve family conditions, parental competence and behavior, and maternal and child health and development. Networks of social service agencies emphasize prevention and maintenance in reaching and…