Describes the role of parent information centers in the school selection process, drawing on experiences with six Massachusetts information centers. In spite of insufficient funding and overwhelming work loads, these centers are providing valuable information to help parental school choice and to promote parent participation in school decision…

Parent participation programs that are to effectively meet the needs of all families need to give equal consideration to the needs of all families represented in the class. Teachers are offered guidelines for planning parent participation strategies for their class. (BB)

Studies ethnic differences in parent involvement and ways to increase involvement of low-income parents. Interviews with 83 parents (51 identified as Latino) of 83 students indicated parent attitudes. An intervention with 58 families of 119 kindergarten and first grade students resulted in greater participation than for 61 control families. (SLD)

Offers a fictionalized account of the development, within an elementary school, of four distinctive schools-within-schools. Questions and issues arising in developing such programs are discussed; the theme of each of these four is described, and advantages that staff find in the arrangement are presented. (Author/JB)

Describes how schools can use the eight components of a comprehensive school health program to initiate a 5-a-Day program (initiative launched by the National Cancer Institute and Produce for Better Health Foundation to increase Americans' fruit and vegetable consumption). Specific strategies to implement each component of the comprehensive school…

Highlights four themes of special education: (1) role of the federal government; (2) mandatory collaboration among professionals; (3) mandatory tailoring of the child's educational program; and (4) parent involvement. Cites South Carolina legislation and discusses the extension of the principles of special education to regular education. (MLF)

Examines the success of Jewish Day schools (in terms of curriculum, parent involvement, and societal implications) in the United States and Afrocentric educational programs (in terms of arguments for, focus on male students, transition to adulthood, and community involvement) in developing positive self-concepts and academic success among…

Initiatives are discussed that can increase young Black males' success in science and technology programs. The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program (MSP) of the University of Maryland Baltimore County has successfully increased the number of African Americans who enter/succeed in undergraduate and doctoral/professional science and technology programs by…

Describes a case study of 12 elementary schools (emphasizing 2 schools) affected by the Chicago School Reform Act, focusing on local contexts and features of school communities that advance or impede change. Results demonstrate the importance of neighborhood contexts and school leadership and the complexities of applying technical expertise. (SLD)

Studies 683 African-American, inner-city children in Chicago (Illinois), exposed to 4 to 6 years of early childhood education. Benefits seem to have lasted for girls but less so for boys. Reading scores for girls and boys at the program end were similar and equal to local and national norms. (JB)

Explores the concept of culture as a factor in the well-being of children. Holding students accountable for their behavior, holding schools accountable for activities and achievements of students, and inducing parents to support their children in school require a cultural change in how we look at schooling. (SLD)

Summarizes a five-month study of a British secondary school governing body to determine whether the 1986 and 1988 education acts' goals were being achieved. One significant research issue was the emerging lay-professional relationship. At present, the school governing body is not fully exercising its powers but is responding to an externally…

Describes on-campus College/Career Resource Centers (CCRCs) designed to help students in the Lexington Two school district in West Columbia, South Carolina, identify the higher educational institution of their choice and to search for the funds to afford that opportunity. Presents graphic picture of success story of parents and students working…

This interview with Billy Tidwell, Director of Research at the National Urban League, discusses contemporary issues in education, training, and urban development, beginning with an overview of educational reform. Minority education and the role of the National Urban League are considered in light of social problems that affect the ability to learn…

Uses data from interviews with 28 low-income single mothers (lone mothers) in the London (England) area to begin to develop a typology of the involvement of lone mothers in their children's schooling that emphasizes the mediating contributions of class, race, social support, family structure, and position within a racially structured patriarchal…