Vancouver (Washington) is rebuilding its entire educational infrastructure. Community involvement in the planning process for each school has created a sense of ownership, created spaces that implement good educational ideas and accommodate community activities, and given each school its own "signature." An emphasis on efficiency has…

Focuses on using the community as an environment in which to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) in a socially responsive way. The article points out that many ESL classes exist for social reasons and that these reasons need to be foregrounded for effective language instruction to proceed. The article also discusses the role played by course…

Each year, millions of Canadian taxpayers' dollars are spent on repairing or replacing school property because of student vandalism. The literature reveals that there is no single factor that fully explains the causes of student vandalism. Includes strategies for combatting school vandalism that focus on the school environment, the school system,…

Colorado Springs (Colorado) School District 11 was the first to offer advertising opportunities via its school buses. This action was taken after new investment policies, self-insurance, contracting out, and salary freezes proved inadequate to offset voters' reluctance to increase taxes. Opposition was limited, due to strong community support and…

An outreach strategy being used to promote parent involvement is the development of parent or family centers to provide services for parents as well as to encourage their participation. Family centers engage in a wide range of productive activities that strengthen school-family-community partnerships. (SLD)

Examines reasons why some young people are more at risk than others for sexual health problems, highlighting structural and environmental factors that contribute to sexuality-related risks and vulnerabilities and proposing ways that policymakers might help reduce these risks by improving access to quality information and creating health-enabling…

Discusses a project developed at Damiansville Elementary School (Illinois) to improve reading scores on state reading tests and encourage students to improve reading achievement. Topics include funding; the Standardized Tests for Assessment of Reading; the Accelerated Reader program; planning; the role of the library; and community participation.…

Describes the key features of "third way" politics. Examines "third way" economic, social, and political values and objectives related to New Labor government post-compulsory-school education policies and initiatives, particularly New Deal Welfare to Work and the University for Industry. (Contains 68 references.) (PKP)

Discusses a Web-based composition class that requires students to participate in and write about service learning. Suggests that service learning and distance education complement one another--the student-community interaction balances the solitude of distance learning. Stresses that service learning offers a humanizing antidote to Web-based…

Reform efforts require principals to build alliances with the community, legislators, and media. The U.S. Department of Education's New High Schools employ a common set of improvement strategies: innovative instruction, integrated technology, tailored professional development, community service, work-based learning, and strong community…

An intergovernmental council on sustainable development in the Arctic discussed decision making, planning, protected areas, healthy communities, governance, assessment, and the role of youth. Recommendations included measuring scientific knowledge against the benchmark of traditional knowledge, establishing an Arctic university, allowing…

A participatory research project on adolescent well-being and related community factors was conducted under contract with a Manitoba tribal council organization representing nine Ojibwa communities. The project used the nominal group process and focus groups and was based on four principles of culturally appropriate research: elder input, use of…

In this paper, we take up and advance the project of rethinking "scientific literacy" by Eisenhart, Finkel, and Marion (American Educational Research Journal, 1996, 33, 261-295). As part of a project of rethinking science education, we advance three propositions. First, because society is built on division of labor, not everybody needs to know the…

This paper is based on an observational study concerning the effectiveness of elementary education. It was conducted in a rural area near Alotau, the provincial capital of the Milne Bay Province, with a special focus on the Maiwala Elementary School. In this paper, the author first briefly describes what elementary education is and how it has been…

This article discusses the development and implementation of a district-wide mural project that would highlight the strength of the arts and encourage collaboration between all the art teachers, students of multiple ages, and the community. Over 350 students, exhibited their talents and skills by collaborating on a three-paneled ceramic mural that…