The Private Sector Initiative Program (PSIP), Title VII of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), is planned to put employment and training back in private business through grants to employers for on-the-job training programs, with private industry councils as links between business and industry and the federal government. (MF)

This article describes the inception and objectives of Project LEAD (League for Educational Administrator Development), an in-service consortium of school districts, county offices of education, institutions of higher education, and professional associations in the Sacramento, California area. Results of LEAD's in-service priorities assessment are…

Provides guidelines for systemic change in education. Presents an overview of the change process. Discusses preparing for change; building a core team to lead the design effort; transforming vision into system design; shifting focus from planning to implementation; and implementation, summative evaluation, and closure. (AEF)

Advocates student learning portfolios as an effective assessment technique. Explains how to devise a process that involves community expert partners in judging a student portfolio contest in technical writing. Discusses how to sustain community involvement in program assessment and describes how portfolio assessment led to the creation of a…

University of Nebraska, Omaha, projects reflecting active partnership with the community include the Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium, which links public school personnel with university faculty to address issues of common concern, and the College of Information Science and Technology, created to operate in close cooperation with…

This article provides strategies for improving parent information sessions and engaging parents in the support of their children's (including children with disabilities) education. Strategies include using parent-friendly teaching materials, scheduling meetings for family convenience, maintaining a comfortable atmosphere, and providing…

Traces the history of self-help in the African American community, with emphasis on services and programs for children. Claims that the traditions of self-help are very much alive in the African American community, and are manifest in a range of activities. Illustrates contemporary models of self-help from the example of one adoption agency. (MOK)

Describes an on-site staff development program within one school district's secondary schools. The Secondary Instructional Specialist Program trains teachers to provide on-site assistance to other teachers. The assistance considers district, school, and teacher needs and goals. The paper includes recommendations for staff developers. (SM)

Details the history of California's experience with large-scale writing assessment. Describes the introduction, development, and scoring of the California Assessment Program, later renamed the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS). Discusses controversies over removal of certain writing prompts and objections to CLAS. Notes that funding for…

The University of Minnesota's TA Web Certification program is designed to give teaching assistants (TAs) the skills needed to create course Web sites that are technically robust and pedagogically useful. Provides an overview of successes and challenges encountered by designers of and instructors in the program, highlighting salient data from…

Describes three phases, with corresponding characteristics, that emerge as schools plan for technology: (1) Equipment Acquisition; (2) Equipment Acquisition plus Learning; and (3) Results plus Equitable Experiences plus Accountability. Includes a checklist of characteristics of technology planning for each of the three assessment phases. (AEF)

Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook, retiring president of Dillard University (Louisiana) is credited for substantial development of the private, historically black institution, stressing fiscal responsibility and academic excellence. During his tenure, endowment increased eightfold, curriculum was revised, two scholars programs were established, and…

As Internet 2 takes shape, the university administrators and researchers behind it are taking care to address the political and economic challenges experienced by the original Internet. The new, privatized system will be faster and more powerful, but some fear privatization has shifted the balance of power toward profit-making instead of meeting…

While Internet content relating to black culture is burgeoning, and scholars want to make more available, the cost of selecting and organizing materials is hindering their efforts. Some innovative approaches are being used, including an online course on media, technology, and diversity and a compact-disk collection of research on slave trading.…

Describes a family life/sexuality education program for young people with moderate and severe mental retardation. Emphasis is on program effectiveness (demonstrated through field testing), program development strategies, development of a guidebook for training the trainers, curriculum content, parent involvement, instructional variety, and program…