Providing ninth-graders with academic and social support can put more students on the graduation path, but it can be challenging for schools and school systems to implement that support routinely and effectively. This brief describes how Broward County Public Schools adopted a community of practice (CoP) approach to improve school-based teams'…

Since 2005 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has supported Playworks, an innovative program that provides supervised, inclusive recess programs at schools across the country. Jill Vialet, who founded Play4Kids, the precursor to Playworks, saw the need, particularly in urban elementary schools, for a new kind of recess that included…

This study examined the unique partnership between Midwest Community College and Urban Public Schools' Urban Career Technical High School. The Urban Technical High School (UTHS) is designed to provide students interested in Tech Prep education a clear pathway from high school to college. Through collaboration, services were provided to assist high…

The College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL) at Arizona State University (ASU) embraced the opportunity to partner with Teach For America (TFA) to tailor existing teacher preparation programs to meet the unique needs of alternatively certified teachers in urban schools. Rather than harp on the distinctions between ideologies and…

In this article, we provide a description of a unique model of teaching and learning, developed at an urban professional development school. We focus on an intensive collaboration between members of a high school mathematics department and one university faculty member, who collaborated to raise student test scores and build solidarity as a team.…

This article describes the evolving stages of the establishment and development of a professional development school partnership. Whereas many such articles center on outcomes only, this one describes the developmental stages necessary to support a strong professional development partnership that allows for distributed learning for all parties…

The purpose of this paper is to present the rationale and principles that guided the design and development of PARENTS, a multimedia case-based environment. Following a development research approach, the tenets of constructivist learning, and the advantages of case-based instruction, we developed a multimedia program in which we utilized and…

With 55 percent of the 53,400 students on free and reduced lunch programs, a 78 percent mobility rate, and a diverse population, Columbus City Schools (CCS) in Ohio faces the challenges common to other urban districts. In spite of the challenges, CCS has made a long-term commitment to engage students in high-quality physical education and physical…

The results of a community needs assessment were used as the basis for planning Florida Junior College (FJC) at Jacksonville's community service offerings. FJC's current activities and facilities in the area of community services are described. (NHM)

The Dallas Independent School District (DISD) provides for the delivery of services to handicapped students from birth to six years of age through the Project KIDS (Kindling Individual Development Systems) program. Journal availability: see EC 133 846. (Author)

Community participation in program decision-making and implementation is an ideal that community and academic stakeholders aspire to in participatory research. This ideal, however, can be difficult to achieve. We describe lessons learned about community participation from a quasi-experimental trial aimed at reducing the uptake of smoking among…

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, influential in middle-grades policy, advocates a three tiered approach envisioning high-performing schools as academically rigorous, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable. This report discusses pioneering programs, critics' concerns, exemplary Michigan programs, and urban schools'…

Teacher education programs have a long history of producing excellent health and physical education (HPE) teachers for suburban school districts. But graduates who start their career at high-need schools often feel poorly prepared to face the challenges of low-income school districts, schools, and students. This article is directed primarily to…

A two-year project was conducted to develop, implement, and evaluate a model demonstration career education program in a large urban setting (Detroit Public Schools). Major activities involved in the first year (phase I) included the following: (1) selecting fourteen target schools to be served; (2) determining the needs and specific career…

Reorganization was undertaken by the Oakland Unified School District in an effort to improve student achievement. To facilitate the Instructional Strategy Plan, the Instructional Strategy Council was formed which consisted of persons representing business, labor, community, and school employee organizations. Technical Task Teams were established…