The Baltimore School and Family Connections Project is a collaborative effort to design comprehensive partnership programs and evaluate their results. This case study explores one school's efforts to involve middle-grades students and their families in learning activities at home during the summer break. Marginal students who worked on the home…

The Youth Services Director of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC, has involved the community in encouraging children to read with summer reading programs, story-telling festivals, author and illustrator visits to schools, family reading programs for babies through kindergartners, and a year-round middle school reading…

Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill., a recognized advocate for federal funding of educational facilities, describes the strategy of placing school infrastructure in the same category as commercial and transportation infrastructure. Three researchers in the facilities field present empirical evidence that facility conditions directly affect…

Advocates including school-age children in community service programs as a way to give back to the community, build confidence, create a sense of power to make a difference, organize, solve problems, develop strategies, make decisions, and gain personal gratification. Includes guidelines for planning and ideas for community service projects. (SD)

Describes how an undersupported rural elementary school in Mississippi became a model school with the unique Voyages curriculum. Under the dynamic, professional leadership of its principal, the school and teachers involved the entire community, local legislators, and others to gain support and funds for its innovative program that created an…

Overviews issues affecting Native American and bilingual education including the unique cultural, linguistic, and educational needs of different Native American groups. Suggests that Native American communities need to gain control of their children's education to ensure the integral use of American Indian languages in tribal schools. Addresses…

Profiles individual projects in six school districts across the country participating in the School-Community Connection initiative funded by the Institute for Responsive Education. These projects focus on school improvement through partnerships among schools, parents, and the community. Rural and urban elementary and secondary schools are…

Organizing a committed team to foster effective school-community partnerships is discussed, focusing on the critical role of leadership. Collaborative leadership, comprised of diverse members and different perspectives, is most successful. A list of qualities and skills that are necessary for collaborative leaders is provided. (LAJ)

Examines critical educational principles and practice necessary for implementing a community based teaching and learning model to bridge the gap between learning theory, practice, and community needs. The Gao School Museum, an educational innovation in West Africa that bridged the gap between community, school, and learners, illustrates these…

Collaborative research effort between the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Office of Educational Leadership provided ethnographic data on the perceptions of principals at 22 schools participating in an educational transformation/shared-governance process. Findings show that awareness of obstacles to change is a necessary first step toward…

Examines the myths surrounding the introduction of native language instruction in American Indian communities. Despite the concerns of many parents, such instruction does not "hold back" students, and in fact empowers them to succeed in school. Parent-community involvement is essential for dispelling myths and for reinforcement of the…

Maintains that Phillip Evergood's painting, "Sunny Side of the Street," is an appropriate metaphor for full inclusion of students in art education. Describes a model for collaboration among students, teachers, administrators, and community members to create an inclusive art education program. (CFR)

The law mandating Chicago's (Illinois) school reform (Public Act 85-1418) is about governance and the control of education, more than it is about educational reform. Nevertheless, the law has had a positive impact; and despite their limitations, local school councils have gained insights into school processes and community involvement. (SLD)

Summarizes findings of a survey of middle-school teacher educators to determine what books, articles, and other resources are most used in middle-level teacher education programs. Respondents identified numerous resources that teacher education programs could incorporate. New resources are needed in community resource involvement, family…

Examines pre-first-grade programs in three New England school districts to determine why so many children cannot meet regular classroom demands. Extrayear programs are a quick fix allowing schools and communities to retain policies that permit children to be labeled, tracked, and retained. There is no substitute for a well-designed,…