Examines the development and implementation of a school compact program in the Detroit (Michigan) Public School System. Demonstrates its initiation by corporate leaders; and highlights some issues faced by elected officials, schools, and the community while making compact agreements. Problems still faced by the Detroit Compact are reviewed. (SLD)

Calls attention to the emphasis on the practical in the curricula of community colleges and its infusion into the liberal arts programs of many four-year schools. Even in the upper tiers of the academic system, the vocational vogue is encroaching on the traditional liberal education. (SLD)

Discusses implications for teacher education of Cummins' theoretical framework for analyzing minority students' school failure. Researchers adapted a multicultural education course, then surveyed student attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors toward minority children before and after taking the course. The course produced increased cultural sensitivity…

The development and instruction of a course in survival Spanish at Sauk Valley Community College (Illinois) are described. The course, taught for over 15 years and targeted at groups such as teachers, nurses, social workers, counselors, and secretaries, is offered as a model for courses in real-life communication for a variety of professions.…

Points to high failure rates among educationally underprepared students at the City University of New York (CUNY). Argues that CUNY's Hispanic and African-American students often enter with inadequate school socialization, learning, and standard English skills and that CUNY's efforts regarding diversity and pluralism neglect the student and often…

Discusses methodological issues in cross-cultural studies of diverse communities, including language problems, data collection and analysis, sample size, and dissemination of findings. A study of the information-seeking behavior of ethnolinguistic gatekeepers in several communities in California is described. Suggestions are given for public…

Group discussions on physical, sexual, and emotional child abuse and neglect, which took place at the "Child Protection for the 21st Century Conference," are summarized. The discussions noted practices that should be preserved and those requiring change in law/law enforcement, mental health, medicine/nursing, social work, and prevention and…

The study of 742 older persons (above age 45) with a developmental handicap residing in either community or institutional settings in Alberta, Canada, found those residing in congregate care settings had significantly higher frequencies of health impairments. Persons residing in the community had significantly better independent living skills and…

Describes the theater arts teacher education program at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Asserts that "connected teaching," in which individual teachers and their students are colearners, forms the foundation for the program. Includes an appendix listing current Kansas standards for certification of drama teachers. (CFR)

The nine articles of this special section focus on the role of evaluation in the reform of the mental health system in Washington. The reform process is described from its inception through its design to the dissemination and utilization of evaluation results. The final article considers implications for statewide evaluations. (SLD)

Summarizes the history of education in a rural, primarily African-American town in North Carolina as one of denial used as a coping mechanism for disappointment. Denial of real problems by blacks and whites has contributed to the town's weakened sense of community and its lack of a local school. (SLD)

Discusses attributes of families, students, schools, peers, and communities that foster resilience among inner-city youth, examining these factors at one inner-city elementary school. The exploration is based on a longitudinal study of the achievement and climate and survey and interview data collected over five years. (SLD)

Describes the second-language and native language maintenance programs of Brunswick North Primary School (Australia), a school that offers its students opportunities to learn Turkish, Italian, Greek, or Arabic. An integrated curriculum ensures that students acquire or maintain a language other than English. (SLD)

Describes an integrated schoolwide project at a California high school in which students learned real-world technology skills and workplace etiquette by working together to create a multimedia CD-ROM project, in the form of a quilt, that described local history. Student teams, scheduling changes, teacher roles, community judging, and student…

Describes the West Vancouver (British Columbia) School Board's goals related to the appropriate and effective use of information technology as both a school and a community resource. Highlights include social issues, learning issues, professional and personal competencies for teacher-librarians, integration of information delivery systems, and a…