This study examined an international educational partnership between Florida International University and Taiwan's Fu-Hsing school that emphasized curriculum and instructional change to improve educational quality in Taiwan. Collaborators from the institutions developed criteria for teaching effectiveness and established an evaluation system for…

This paper defines and describes nontraditional Professional Development School (PDS) sites, atypical collaborations, and the responsibility of schools, colleges, and departments of education in selecting and developing those sites. The paper suggests that the influence of PDSs on both school reform and the preparation of educators is likely to be…

Provides overview of major initiatives in family literacy and argues for fundamental change in the way schools relate to parents and the community. Suggests that schools and communities need to develop more effective partnerships so that parents and teachers can develop a sense of shared understanding. Concludes that such initiatives will lead to…

Reports on a four-year-old partnership between Appalachian State University (North Carolina), local school districts and telecommunications companies. Covers how the program has changed technically, and how its incorporated learning activities have changed over time--and why. (Author/AEF)

Describes three networks of British schools that are successfully banding together to assist one another with restructuring, school-based management, curriculum changes, staff development, and record keeping. Networks varied in size and scope, but all three were committed to dialog, cooperation, and solidarity in the interest of improving…

Driven by Goals 2000 legislation, partnerships involving schools, businesses, and universities are preparing students for technically sophisticated workplaces. The Kids at Work project initiated by Project SMART (Science/Mathematics Applied Resources for Teaching) is a New York State validated approach to improving elementary math and science…

Preservice training partnerships between schools and universities can appear to be driven by the demands of external accountability. A Neo-Vygotskian model that incorporates understandings of teaching and learning is offered as a framework for preservice training partnerships. Data from a teaching school-university partnership program illustrate…

Describes a partnership between the journalism program at California's College of San Mateo and the Independent Newspaper Group in San Francisco to jointly produce the college's newspaper. Indicates that the Group handles all printing on a volunteer basis. Describes incentives, such as access to student articles, for publishers to volunteer…

Presents an interview with a technology teacher at a small Catholic school that manages to provide its students with technology education despite its tight budget. Describes the parents' involvement with the school through donations of money or used computers, and the positive effect of strong community and school involvement. (AJL)

The study of four community-based organizations (CBOs) participating in the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention program in New York City illustrates that it is important to distinguish among the characteristics of CBOs when schools think about forming collaboratives with them. CBOs may serve very different purposes for school needs. (SLD)

In Bill Gathergood's British literature class, seniors tell Beowulf-like tales and share stories with Russian students. Gathergood, as head of the Technology in Education Professional Development School at Ohio University's College of Education, is a link in a reform movement called the Holmes Partnership Group. School districts receive…

Reviews the requirements of the revised Title I for parent and community involvement in schools, especially the requirement for school-parent contracts, and summarizes research on the effects of school-family partnerships on students, teachers, and parents. Two major programs for building such partnerships are described. (SLD)

Describes socioeconomic conditions in Ecuador challenging optimal child development. Describes operation of a preschool in a poor neighborhood and discusses visits to an orphanage and to a special education facility during collaboration with the parochial leadership, medical personnel, and educators in the town of Quito. Reflects on successful…

The Newark School System has implemented a systemwide reform, "Learn through the Lens of Science," which has several components that build and sustain the district's capacity for science education (e.g., establishing long-range planning processes, partnering with universities, and creating a science materials distribution center). The…

Examined teacher risk taking during the development of a school-within-a-school program in a Professional Development School, targeting sophomores at high risk for dropping out. Findings indicated that a psychology of risk-taking behavior provided a useful lens for understanding teacher risk-taking in this context and that the three essential…