This introductory text presents a collection of articles from urban-studies journals to introduce undergraduate students to the interdisciplinary field of urban studies. The book is divided into 9 parts as follows: Part 1: Cities and Urbanism; part 2: Urban History; part 3: Urban Policy; part 4: Economic Development; part 5: Community Services and…

Educational equity demands are progressively being framed in terms of multiculturalism and diversity within the educational process. This change of focus means that strategies aiming to secure rights should make room for others that emphasize the building of relationships, mutual knowledge, and community. For schools in poor, inner-city…

The National Alliance of Business (NAB) reported recently on the National Workforce Assistance Collaborative that works with community colleges and other educational institutions to build their capacity to develop the work force of the 21st century. NAB had conducted a series of focus groups with participants from business, industry, education,…

This paper offers a review of the literature on university-school collaborative efforts and describes the status of such efforts in Mississippi. A K-12 task force appointed by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education was assigned to perform an audit of Mississippi collaboratives. The audit identified many school-university partnerships…

One method of training principals and teachers to lead substantive change initiatives lies in partnership activities between schools and the local university. The Collaborative School Improvement Program (C-SIP) is a successful school-university partnership that focuses upon collaborative relationships between Eastern Michigan University and area…

A study examined basic skills programs at 21 Illinois companies. Most of the top managers interviewed recognized the basic skills training needs of their work forces; however, only 14 of the companies actually offered workplace basic skills programs. Three major motivating factors were identified as catalysts for beginning a program: a drive for…

Improved professional education for teachers, counselors, and school administrators is needed in order to successfully reform schooling. Fundamental change in professional education requires educational partnerships between schools and universities. The professional development school (PDS) represents a pivotal element in the strategy of utilizing…

This book highlights existing successful partnerships between local educational agencies (LEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), identifying barriers to such partnerships and providing strategies for partnerships that prepare youths and adults for tomorrow's work force. In addition, the book provides ideas for school administrators about…

Smart Start is a broad-based community initiative to ensure that all of North Carolina's children arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. This study examined the effect of Smart Start on the quality of child care from 1994-1996. Data were collected from child care centers in 12 counties implementing the initiative. Data collectors visited 180…

This book is designed to provide school library media specialists, teachers, parents, reading club organizers, and public librarians with structured reading programs that can be adapted to local needs. Reading incentive programs are explained along with the importance of collaboration and choice play in making them successful. The book is divided…

The Higher Education Act (HEA) was enacted during the 1960s to help needy college students attend institutions of higher learning via federal grants and loans. Since then, amendments to HEA have established and supported various college and university-focused programs. Teacher education initiatives were placed in Title V of the HEA. A coalition of…

This guide is part of an initiative to support the efforts of the Organizations Concerned about Rural Education (OCRE) in helping rural school districts plan for school improvement. The guide outlines a one-day workshop to help focus attention on ways to gain community support and plan initiatives. After explaining how to plan the workshop, the…

Collaborative action research has been a central focus of the Masters in Teaching (MIT) program at Whitworth College, Washington. This paper focuses on two aspects that are essential in any effective teacher education program: collaboration between preservice and inservice teacher education and schools and action research to enhance what K-12…

This study examined the work of six mentor teachers participating in an elementary-level Professional Development School (PDS). Over 18 months, the researcher collected qualitative data using a descriptive case study method. Data collection included journal entries written by mentors and interns, field notes, interviews, e-mail, meeting minutes,…

This document contains selected proceedings from a conference that was convened in the Mississippi Delta region to provide interested stakeholders (citizens and local public officials) with information about recent federal and state welfare reform legislation. The document begins with an explanation of how the old Aid to Families with Dependent…