"The Achiever" is published semi-monthly during the school year for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Study Finds Majority of Sophomores Plan to Go to College"; (2) "Parent Support:…

Intended for parents of children with disabilities, this guide offers guidance for writing letters to the professionals involved in a child's special education. Basic information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) precedes a flow chart breakdown of the 10 steps in the special education process under IDEA. Suggestions for…

Two decades ago, many of the strengths and advantages of small rural schools were understood. These include a greater sense of community, which enables closer relations between faculty and administration, between teachers and students, and among teachers; less violence; better school-community relationships; more parent participation; greater…

This monograph examines the special problems of students with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) who are from culturally diverse backgrounds and offers strategies for designing appropriate interventions. In the introductory chapter, the student demographics in the E/BD category of special education are reviewed and efforts of one state,…

This document presents a model used by the Davis School District (Utah) to revise their comprehensive guidance program. The model addresses the four primary purposes of education (essential learning skills, civic responsibility, career preparation, and personal development). Counselors collaborate with individual students and their parents to form…

This study, the second of 2 conducted by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) on the governance of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program, describes the growth and development of collaborative decision-making in 4 of the initial grantee communities after 2 years of funding. IEL's first report asked the original 99…

The paper discusses the process and logistical experiences of developing science, technology and mathematics (SMT) curricula materials at the primary and secondary school levels in Uganda. The author developed the approach as part of the Female Education in Mathematics and Science in Africa (FEMSA) project. FEMSA is an Africa regional project that…

In 1997, AEL, a regional educational laboratory, invited more than 100 people from 18 primarily rural school communities in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia to join the QUEST network, a 3-year program dedicated to building quality learning communities that support high levels of student and adult performance. School stories from…

Homework is an opportunity for children to learn and for families to be involved with their children's education, but helping children with homework is not always easy. This Spanish-language booklet is designed to provide parents of elementary and middle grades students with an understanding of the purpose and nature of homework and offers…

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of a federally funded project designed to develop a community-wide interagency service delivery model for facilitating the successful transition of handicapped children from preschool programs to the least restrictive environment in the public schools. The model addresses four major…

In the second year of a federally funded program encouraging disadvantaged youth to prepare for college, 1,955 parents and 1,520 students at 23 middle schools in southern West Virginia were surveyed concerning their perceptions of and aspirations for postsecondary education. Findings indicate that students and their parents had a generally…

This final report describes the rationale, goals and activities of a federally funded project that was designed to develop a model intervention program for hospitalized chronically ill children between birth and five years. The focus of the program was to promote optimal emotional development: attachment, separation, individualization, and…

High school is the training ground for college and work. Today, most good jobs require a college education. The way for children to get ready for college is to take challenging courses. The level of math, science and foreign language education students receive will be important for American global competitiveness and national security. In…

Learn to manage a wide range of challenging behaviors in early childhood settings with this strategy-filled resource for teachers and other professionals. Based on the latest research and the authors' classroom experience, the book helps early childhood teams assess the classroom environment and link effective behavioral interventions to…

This document summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 40 indicators on the status and condition of education and a special analysis of the mobility of elementary and secondary school teachers. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant…