At an appropriate distance, the President's stated intention to create drug-free schools by 2000 appears impeccable. Although youthful drug abuse has declined, the lower usage levels are still destructively high. A systemic approach to preventing drug abuse must occur in schools, in the work place, on the highways, in public places, and in…

Offers suggestions for making urban communities efficient, attractive, safe, and supportive of education. Advises urban school leaders to set high expectations for students, build less bureaucratic administrative structures, initiate a comprehensive renewal program, and create a support network beyond the school. Includes 10 references. (MLH)

Explores the negative popular reaction to the 1988 Presidential Debates. Examines how these events function as ritualistic enactments of the <public trust>, thus providing a rhetorical legitimacy for the electoral process in a system dedicated to <popular sovereignty>. Suggests how the 1988 debates failed to satisfy that function. (MM)

Issues of public concern for higher education are identified: quality of higher education; opportunity and choice for all qualified citizens; price and cost of higher education; public understanding of the purposes of higher education; and higher education's relation to the workplace and economic development. (MLW)

Examines New York voters' overwhelming approval of 1995 statewide district budgets, in light of state budget approval history, experts' analyses of factors influencing budget approval, and results of a survey of initial school district budget votes conducted annually over the past five years. Community involvement and modest tax increases were key…

Outlines proactive administrative strategies to reduce conflicts between institutions of higher education and communities: (1) be open and trustworthy; (2) demonstrate economic contributions; (3) consider neighborhood newsletters; (4) invite neighborhood participation; (5) extend student-discipline procedures; (6) invest in the community; and (7)…

Educational funding in many states is declining in amount and political priority. The AASA recommends that school districts use curriculum-driven or performance budgeting to alleviate the crunch. Budgets should garner public support and reflect school district program effectiveness, comparative benefit, and collaborative planning, rather than…

Includes "Our Direct Current Course Isn't Anymore!" (Gothman); "Sound the Alarm for Public Relations" (Benson); and "Lightning, Frog Legs, and the Truth about Electricity" (Kelly). (JOW)

Studied the effects of experimentally manipulated maternal social support on the development of infant attachment in low SES mothers. Examined the possibility that the influence of maternal support varies depending on infant irritability and maternal ego level. Findings provide experimental evidence regarding the importance of social support on…

Discusses the varying effects of economic and social conditions (particularly affluence, educational attainment, and immigration) on the development of U.S. art museums in 1869-99, 1900-30, and 1931-59. Suggests that museum legitimacy transmits the effects of most economic and social variables. Contains 63 references. (SV)

School bashing has been a national pastime for years. Government officials and business leaders demoralize teachers and administrators carrying out improvement efforts by telling them how poorly they are doing. Although many educators truly believe in a national desire to improve education, there is no national will to compensate and empower…

As shown by their treatment of incidents involving kissing, aspirins, and Ebonics, the media are adept at spotlighting the unseemly, the negative, and the absurdities occurring in a public education system comprising 100,000 schools. Such negative reinforcement stymies public support for schools. When covering the Third International Mathematics…

Public deliberation is a little-used concept that gets people talking about education and working together to improve it. Study circles discuss each solution's pros and cons, explore people's deeper motivations, weigh others' views carefully, work through conflicting emotions, and identify common ground. Pueblo, Colorado's process is profiled.…

Educators must make communications a priority if they are to gain public support. Press releases are no substitute for public engagement, which should support district efforts to improve student achievement. School leaders should listen to parents, focus on internal audiences, use effective messages and messengers, and develop strategic…

Asked by a job applicant how he knew if local schools were successful, a Massachusetts superintendent could have mentioned his district's near-perfect attendance figures and high college-acceptance rates. Instead, he measured success by whether area college graduates and workers gave back to their schools or communities. (MLH)