For months, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been debated throughout the media, legislatures, education organizations, and households across the country. Education groups have released statements both in favor of the standards and opposed. As these arguments are being tossed around, 44 states and D.C. are implementing CCSS and other…

In recent years, leaders of American cities have become progressively concerned about increasing the college-going and completion rate of their residents. Mayors and other community leaders in Memphis, Boston, Louisville, San Francisco and other cities have launched initiatives to increase college completion rates, mobilizing stakeholders from the…

The Algebra Project DR K-12, funded by the National Science Foundation as a Research and Development Project, addressed the challenge of offering significant STEM content for students to ensure public literacy and workforce readiness. The project's primary purpose was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a model for establishing four-year…

An overview of the history of school health programs is given. The support of the community, faculty, school administrators, and elected officials is necessary for a successful school-based program. (MT)

Findings from a 2-year study of arts education reveal that the first and most important factor in a school district's ability to provide strong arts education is the community's support and involvement. Districts with strong arts education also require a supportive school board, superintendent, and a cadre of principals, teachers, and parents.…

Sample materials drawn from the Allegheny Conference Education Fund's small grants for teachers program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are provided. The program is described as one which provides small grants (approximately $500) to help teachers explore new techniques and develop innovative educational projects. Materials used to publicize the…

The Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to support school desegregation programs or reduce minority group isolation. In this volume the effectiveness of ESAA-NPOs and non-ESAA-funded groups is examined. The analysis, based on data from 131 community organizations in 40 school districts…

Examined institutional advantages of school-age child care (SACC) programming in schools. A study of 63 SACC programs in 2 southeastern states revealed that community support, number of extracurricular activities, and frequency of academic activities significantly contributed to predicting advantages associated with SAC programming. (Contains 23…

Since 1975 the Contoocook Valley District, a small rural cooperative school district in southwestern New Hampshire, has developed a performance-based student competency program which has resulted in a dramatic increase in scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. The district is comprised of 9 towns, covers an area of almost 300 square miles, and…

A study investigated the introduction of an experimental school-centered and neighborhood-oriented communication system in a small midwestern town. It was anticipated that normal parent-teacher-school communication would be enhanced by the electronic messaging potential of the system. Researchers observed the entire adoption process from the…

Provides 11 guideposts for teachers and students planning constructive community action projects. These include avoid overanalysis at the beginning, write your original idea down before you modify it, ignore negativity, do your homework, build a core group, and recruit community allies. (MJP)

The Oklahoma State University Educational Alliance was formed in 1990 to address multicultural issues in a rural setting and provide a multicultural experience for students. This alliance consisted of Oklahoma State University (OSU) College of Education, Frontier Public Schools, and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe. The OSU College of Education is…

The Instrumental Music Program Unit in the South-West Priority Country Area (a vast, generally arid hot region some 800 km by 450 km) is a unique, dynamic, and successful program, enjoying an extremely high degree of enthusiastic support from all involved--administrators, instructors, students, schools, and communities. Begun in 1977, there are…

A two-year career education exemplary project conducted in the middle schools and grade nine in Meridian, Connecticut, was evaluated. Objectives of the program had included providing hands-on experience in various job clusters to the students, expanding the work of guidance counselors in career education, providing teacher inservice training, and…

This manual is designed to assist facilitators working with members of a school community in forming or strengthening partnerships that will promote greater success for their youth. Participants can identify characteristics that are most important for youth to be successful in their community, consider ways to determine that students are…