As part of the school improvement process, the Springfield Public School (Massachusetts) has involved all constituencies in the community in implementing the Schools of Choice plan. This guidebook was prepared to assist parents and students in determining the best program and schools for their needs and desires. Parents of elementary school…

This 3-year project provided support services to 16 sites (in 8 states) which implemented the BEACON model (Bilingual Early Assessment and Curriculum Outreach Network) to screen, evaluate, and serve young (ages 2-8) bilingual children with disabilities and their families. Major components of the BEACON model are: (1) bilingual children with…

This practicum focused on preventing referral to special education by meeting the needs of kindergarten and first grade children identified with behavioral or academic problems in the mainstream classroom. The practicum emphasized: (1) early identification of potentially dysfunctional children; (2) development of individual education plans…

Current versions of Massachusetts state laws, regulations, policy statements, and guidelines concerning the education of limited-English-proficient (LEP) children are compiled here. They include: a policy statement from the state board of education; a synopsis of the mandatory transitional bilingual education law of 1971, in question-and-answer…

The 1992-93 school year was the third year of the Elementary Technology Demonstration Schools program of the Austin (Texas) schools; the project is funded by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and Apple Computer Inc. Grants from these corporations were used to equip three elementary schools with IBM equipment and one with Apple…

Six papers address issues in the transition of students with disabilities into the adult world of work. In "Workplace Support," Jeff McNair defines "support," differentiates types of support, and considers various foci of intervention. The second paper titled, "Cross-Cultural Transition: An Exigent Topic for Study" by Nancy Kronick, reviews…

The main trends in urban education, particularly in England and the United Kingdom, are reviewed and analysed, along with descriptions of a series of projects and interventions. In particular, the paper: reviews the relevant research evidence about the current state of urban education; considers the scope for change; reports on worthwhile…

School-initiated activities to change the home educational environment can strongly influence student learning, even in schools serving low-income and minority families. This sourcebook shows various ways that schools can take the initiative in reaching out and working with families as equal partners; and explores how family life, school programs,…

This journal issue focuses on cooperative partnership programs for the improvement of educational services to students with disabilities. The eight articles are: (1) "Partner-Based Prelinguistic Intervention: A Preliminary Report" by M. Jeanne Wilcox (which found the intervention procedures had a strong effect on mother-child dyads); (2)…

This practicum was designed to assist African American and Hispanic students and their parents to become aware of the preparations, procedures, programs, and resources requisite for enhancing educational opportunities. The major outcomes of the practicum were: (1) to increase the number of minority students applying to postsecondary institutions;…

As follow-up to an in-depth study of the District of Columbia's early learning programs and their impact, this study provided data on the transition of previously studied children from primary education to upper elementary grades. Academic progress of the original group of pre-kindergarten and Head Start children was studied during years 5 and 6…

This report describes a family literacy program for adult students with mild learning challenges including mental retardation. The program's objective was to upgrade the reading skills of parents and introduce them to a wide variety of enjoyable children's literature. During each of 20 weekly sessions, a class of no more than 15 parents was…

This report presents the findings of a study conducted for the U.S. Department of Education that analyzed 17 family education programs for disadvantaged families. In-depth studies were conducted on-site for 7 programs; an additional 10 programs were studied via telephone interviews. An "Executive Summary" of eleven pages (also separately…

Bilingualism in the Computer Age, a project of the New York City (New York) Board of Education, completed its fourth year (the 1989-90 school year) and was evaluated. The project offered 241 limited-English-proficient Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to study career and vocational subjects while improving their English and native language…

By January of the 1991-92 school year, 428 children were being served by the Chapter 1 Prekindergarten Program of the Saginaw, Michigan school district. A process evaluation was conducted to monitor the program and assess whether the program was being implemented as planned. The process evaluation for this year consisted of a half-day classroom…