Although public acceptance of Head Start is high, public understanding of what the program does remains limited. Studies of Head Start to date have been insufficient in quantity and scope. In November 1994, the Roundtable on Head Start Research began a series of discussions of new directions for Head Start research. The roundtable looked at…

A study described the experiences of elementary educators who are attempting to implement a districtwide School-To-Work (STW) reform effort in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Public Schools (MPS). The descriptions were derived from the first and second years of a 3-year evaluation of MPS's STW implementation plan. Data for the study were drawn from the…

Organized around 15 tasks involved in the community-based programming (CBP) process, this book provides practical, field-tested guidance on successfully implementing CBP in community colleges. Following prefatory materials, the following chapters are provided: (1) "An Introduction to the Community-Based Programming Process" (Edgar J.…

This report reviews the opinions of the National Education Association (NEA) and the approaches taken by and concerns of employee associations that are state affiliates of the NEA. The NEA supports the concept of charters if appropriate standards are upheld and appropriate practices are enforced. The energy and enthusiasm being brought to the…

This book provides an introduction to basic communications concepts, a step-by-step process for developing and implementing a library public relations/communications plan, and descriptions of effective library communications tools and strategies. Detailed examples of the application of solid communications planning in school, public, academic, and…

This guide, designed for principals, on-site leaders or administrators, describes the implementation of the "Actions for Health" series, a comprehensive elementary school (Grades K-6) instructional program for health education. The guide is organized into four sections. The first section, "The Principal's Role," describes the steps a principal is…

This book has been designed to provide teachers of kindergarten through grade 12 with techniques and approaches for helping their African American students achieve in school. It presents a planned approach to four major initiatives: (1) to restructure the instruction and behaviors practiced in most classrooms today; (2) to provide teachers with…

This guidebook offers suggestions for teaching survival skills to students. It provides strategies for implementing key elements of an approach to learning survival skills that engages students as active, self-directed learners in the community. The guidebook is designed to help educators link students to resources in the community so that they…

The changing makeup of cities apparently accounts for much of the failure of the educational system in the United States. An ecological model of the educational process suggests that it is possible to distinguish salient characteristics of the social arrangements within which schools are embedded as a means of understanding educational outcomes…

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and Little Rock's Pulaski Technical College (PTC) have both used the focus group process with key constituents to understand institutional needs and priorities and public expectations of their institutions. The model followed by both institutions consists of the following three phases: forming the…

In November 1989, the College of the Canyons (CC) in Valencia, California, conducted a community survey of Santa Clarita Valley to determine residents' satisfaction with CC; use of CC services and facilities; perceptions of the value and performance of CC in six functional areas; perceptions of the quality of education; attitudes about fees, the…

Community participation has become an important aspect of almost any change efforts in public schools in recent years. The movement has waxed and waned through the decades since the Common School, but is enjoying renewed interest with the emphasis placed on involving stakeholders in systemic change efforts. Typically, community participation has…

Total Quality Management (TQM) promotes a long-term, strategic look at organizations; by extension, Total Quality Education (TQE) promotes an essential, strategic view of communities, educational provisions, and children. This book discusses applying the TQM approach, which focuses on long-term quality, to a TQE, communitywide focus. The emphasis…

For several years, San Diego public schools have been involved in a comprehensive school-community collaboration effort to restructure education. Institutional links were formed between schools, social-service agencies, and other community resources to help reduce dependency on public assistance. Three different levels of community collaboration…

In 1989, the Community Partnership: Child Care and Early Education was formed to examine policies and make recommendations with respect to early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The Partnership established a Task Force to develop a long-term vision for ECCE consistent with community values and to create a blueprint…