Presents (1) characteristics of the totalitarian educational system in Poland which influence the current educational situation; (2) expectations for institutions connected with early childhood education in the new democratic political and social situations in Poland; and (3) an image of early childhood settings as institutions supporting parent…

The Preventive Systemic School Counseling Model helps students, through increased involvement of integral subsystems (school staff, parents, and community resources), to become responsible, effective adults. As family, school, and community roles change, the model develops cognitive and affective strengths and helps the educational system produce…

Reports on a 1988 survey of adolescents from two San Francisco Bay Area schools that tested an index of the frequency with which parents actively mediate children's interpretations of television messages. The predictive ability of the index for skepticism, media use, and involvement in public affairs was tested; and several family communication…

Describes the Yale School Development Program, which has been successful in improving urban schools because of its emphasis on systemic change, child development, and parent involvement. The program is a nine-element process model of three mechanisms, three operations, and three guidelines that replaces traditional organization and management.…

Presents observations and lessons drawn from two years of Kentucky school reform. Implementing the Kentucky School Reform Act of 1990 teaches that reforming schools also requires addressing the ways in which communities raise their children. Community work, with parent and student participation, improves family conditions and political decision…

Interviews with 536 Arizona families of special-needs infants and toddlers examined nature and type of services received; satisfaction with services; parental involvement in service delivery; and needs for additional services, financial help, information, and emotional support. Parents' greatest concern was access to information. Rural-urban…

Describes the evolution of the "Equals" and "Family Math" programs at the University of California (Berkeley) from a single-focus equity program to a multiple focus. Explains specifics of each program's philosophy, methods, and impacts, and describes the program characteristics that enable students to succeed in mathematics.…

This interview with George J. Funario, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, examines the roles that states can play in reforming higher education, drawing on Maryland's experience. The importance of educating minority group members is emphasized, and the role of the federal government in making a financial commitment is…

Presents tips to help teachers develop and manage valid, truly authentic assessments that are linked to daily class instruction, discussing how to refine assessments, get parents involved, encourage self-assessment, and make criteria clear. A model developmental reading scale for bringing more uniformity to reading assessment is presented. (SM)

Calls upon Canadian Aboriginal communities to take control of their children's education by breaking free of inappropriate Western educational practices; moving from rhetoric to action in the areas of native language instruction, outdoor learning, involvement of Elders, and parent participation; and developing community-based evaluations of…

After-school programs provide youngsters with supervision, enriching experiences, and learning opportunities. Effective programs address children's academic, recreational, and cultural needs. Planners must train staff, volunteers, and administrators; create a structured academic program; align curricula; involve families and communities; evaluate…

Evaluated a project between an elementary school and state university in which international parents from the community were trained as instructors of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language and culture, following up on instruction provided by native-speaking graduate students. Interviews and observations indicated that students were very positive…

Presents findings from a survey of avocational teachers at the beginning and end of a three-year project to recruit and prepare volunteer teachers for a religious school. Reveals that participants joined to improve their children's education and enhance their own Jewish learning, and that the quality of the school improved. (DSK)

Describes Infoquest, a game of research questions that can be answered in a school library media center that was developed to increase student use of the media center. Discusses increased use by teachers, parent participation, and includes a master list of questions and answers as well as print and Internet sources. (LRW)

Analyzes data about (Hong Kong) parents' and school personnel's perceptions on parental participation in varied school activities. Most school staff demonstrated unwelcome attitudes toward parent involvement; parents disliked being school managers. Both groups favored separate school-management responsibilities. A school-based management strategy…