In order to address the problems of student success, student retention, and an improved sense of community among students and faculty, Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) implemented a three-year project of cooperative learning. The FCCJ Cooperative Learning Project, funded from 1993-1996, focused on changing the culture of the…

Noting that prevention programs seldom work well, primarily because they are not implemented as required by the underlying program theory, this article summarizes literature suggesting that features of the implementing organization and its ecological context are related to the strength and fidelity of implementation. Schools are used as a focal…

The Reconnecting Youth (RY) program offers a carefully designed, research-validated model for building strength and competence in at-risk students, transforming risk into resilience. This manual was written to assist group leaders in implementing the RY program. The overall purpose of the program is to reach high-risk youth, who are on a potential…

In 1995, Prince George's Community College made at-risk student retention an institutional priority. Studies conducted that year found that 70% of new students tested for placement needed remediation in at least one area, and that the pass rate in developmental mathematics was approximately 50%. A two-part intervention program was initiated to…

This set of materials on the Skillstreaming methodology for training adolescents in social skills, especially students who are chronically aggressive, includes a book which explains the entire program, a student manual, a collection of program forms, and a box of skill cards for use with students. Chapter 1 of the book examines the nature and…

This handbook provides guidelines for implementing an early intervention model, the Parent Infant Nurturing Group (PING), for infants with or at risk for developmental disabilities born to high-risk parents (special needs or with mental retardation). The handbook is a product of Project CAPABLE (Communities Assisting Parents To Be ABLE), a…

This paper reviews research on principals' and teachers' roles in site-based decision making (SBDM). Research examining teacher participation in SBDM is reviewed, finding that higher quality teaching behaviors and higher student academic attainment resulted from teacher participation. The review focuses on steps in implementing SBDM, means for…

This publication brings together ideas, techniques, and designs that have been encountered by designers of school community centers. It is intended as a guide to creating a school community center that will meet the needs of a particular community and help make it a more vibrant, healthy, desirable place in which to live. Part I (encompassing…

In 1992-93, Louisiana had many achievements toward sex equity in vocational education. As state enrollment continued to grow, many efforts were undertaken to increase sex equity in vocational programs and to increase the occupational success of groups targeted by the Carl D. Perkins Applied Vocational and Technology Education Act. Among…

Intended for outreach workers, community development workers, tutors, managers, and coordinators, this guide focuses on how laptop computers are and could be used innovatively and resourcefully for basic skills, outreach, and widening participation generally. Chapter 1 introduces aims and management of the Laptop Initiative for Adult and Community…

Career academies are high school programs that frame academic learning around a career focus in order to increase student motivation and achievement. They generally have three defining features: a school-within-a-school structure, a college preparation curriculum with a career theme, and partnerships with employers, the community, and higher…

The National Reporting System (NRS) is a project to develop an accountability system for the federally funded adult education program. The system includes a set of student measures to allow assessment of the impact of adult education instruction, methodologies for collecting the measures, reporting forms and procedures, and training and technical…

This paper discusses attempts made by the author to reinvigorate the College Honors Program at Union County College in New Jersey (UCC). Created in 1985 to offer an enriched learning experience for exceptional liberal arts students, the Honors Program helps students develop their thinking skills and achieve academic success. However, due to…

This report presents a 25-year plan to raise academic achievement levels and to create a seamless system of lifelong learning in postsecondary schools in the state of Washington. A focus is placed on access in terms of learning, individual enrichment and economic advancement for the people of Washington State. Factors such as increased enrollment,…

This book is a proposal for the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP), a large-scale coherent program of research and development carried out through a partnership between researchers and practitioners. The program would put the problems of educational practice at its center and focus on carrying research and development through all the…