This paper reports on an early childhood technology project that has been conducted in Australia since 2000. The background to the project is that IBM extended their international KidSmart Early Learning program to the Asia-Pacific region. A partnership with the Australian National Schools Network was formed to implement the program in Australia.…

Family literacy programs reflect a recent trend in educational reform that has proven to be a successful educational model for all members of the family unit. Based on the literature that links family involvement to student achievement, these initiatives focus on empowering parents of school children. These programs have been particularly…

New Jersey After 3 (NJ After 3) is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to expand and improve afterschool opportunities for New Jersey's youth. Using both public and private resources, it supports a network of youth-service providers that deliver afterschool services based on NJ After 3's program model. Under an agreement with NJ…

This digest summarizes studies that provide evidence that youth with multiple and severe risks in their lives can develop into confident and competent adults; and discusses the critical role schools can play in this process of development. Resilience is the term used to describe a set of qualities that foster a process of successful adaptation and…

This book examines how five schools in New York City have developed "authentic," performance-based assessments of students' learning, and how this work has interacted with and influenced the teaching and learning experiences students encounter in school. Authentic assessment attempts to take the measure of a child's real work over time…

The feasibility of youth apprenticeship in the United States was assessed by examining problems and successes of programs that include components of the apprenticeship model. The approach to analysis of youth apprenticeship was to break down the model into four components: student participation, educational content, location of instruction, and…

The partial immersion program at Key Elementary School (Arlington, Virginia), where half the day is taught in English and half in Spanish, continued to be successful in its eighth year. Reasons for success include: dedication and in-depth understanding of immersion philosophy among principal, coordinator, teachers, and staff; innovations in both…

Children from four elementary schools in Illinois were participants in the implementation of a project intended to improve their self-esteem through adult role-model intervention. The objectives of the project were to demonstrate that: (1) the adults in children's lives play a significant role; (2) an individual's sense of belonging and acceptance…

This paper explores the implications of an effort to promote service learning in two middle schools in the Palo Alto (California) Unified School District. The schools are grades six through eight with about 1,000 students in each. The paper describes seven service efforts and then analyzes the costs and benefits of these projects. The study…

The papers in this book focus on the strategies, practices, theory, or research related to emergent literacy, elementary and secondary reading, literature, philosophy, affective issues, school improvement, teacher training, and assessment that are related in important ways to issues in past, present and future reading education. Papers in the book…

The middle school concept provides for establishing schools which link the early adolescent years between elementary school and high school. This guide provides practical tips and techniques as a means for middle school teachers to meet the demands of the middle school classroom and to learn about this age group. In addition, it helps explore…

A study of nearly 100 freshman community college students' perceptions of their educational experiences and motivations through focus group interviews found that, despite high dropout rates, community college students can become successful students. The study concluded that students will be more likely to persist if institutions help them to be…

This report presents information from a study of recent state efforts to improve the education system and the implications of these efforts for children with disabilities. The study evaluated educational reform and state policy in 18 states. A major finding of the study was the limited involvement of the special education community in the…

This hearing transcript presents statements regarding programs that facilitate involvement of marginal or absentee fathers in the upbringing of their children. Opening or prepared statements, reiterating the increase in paternal abandonment and its attendant social costs, are presented for Indiana Senator Dan Coats, Chair of the Subcommittee on…

A practicum program was developed and implemented to increase parental involvement, teach parents how to help their children, reverse parents' and students' negative attitudes toward mathematics, and enhance mathematics performance of at-risk seventh-grade students. The objectives of the program were to increase parental involvement by 40 percent,…