Hudson, Massachusetts, an industry-based, socioeconomically diverse community with 2,800 students in six schools, developed a comprehensive preK-12 service-learning program. Parent support, ongoing professional development, curriculum planning time, administrative support, and sustained funding have helped the program achieve districtwide…

At a Quito elementary school, the biggest challenge facing teachers was developing a curriculum that supports child-centered learning, a new concept for Ecuador's traditional society. To strengthen their own teaching and involve parents, a bilingual group of teachers began by collaborating among themselves. The result was a thematically oriented…

Describes and evaluates a program developed within the English Centre at the University of Hong Kong to assist students who are required to present dissertations in English. The program is based on data collected from detailed interviews with graduate supervisors and from a survey of graduate students. (Author/JL)

Permanency planning to help families affected by AIDS includes case management and mental health, medical care, child welfare, and legal services. This article presents the efforts of one community in a midsize city to develop and implement a multidisciplinary coordinated plan for providing services to children affected by the illness or death of…

Discusses connections between art therapy and art education and the use of community resources to enrich the content of a collaborative course. In this course, jointly sponsored by a university and an art museum, participants drew on various artistic disciplines and multisensory approaches to develop treatment plans for special needs children.…

Employing multiple approaches and data sources, School Improvement Model (SIM) researchers have worked with selected districts nationwide to implement a new 360-degree feedback model favored by many companies. This article describes how 360-degree feedback (from students, peers, self-evaluation, supervisors, parents, and student achievement) can…

Describes a peer tutoring program used in grades two and three of a school where the majority of children entering school do not speak English as their first language. Shows impressive gains made by the children in reading fluency, comprehension, and in spelling. Notes the program's positive effects on reading attitudes, positive social skills,…

Although the new principal of an innercity California school vowed to improve student achievement, the students could not learn amidst demoralized teachers in chaotic classrooms. Community-building had to come first. The principal met with parents and asked them to write behavior rules for the school. Various discipline, partnership, and literacy…

Exploration of a specific use of Text Based Virtual Reality--not just as powerful communities for authentic communication and collaboration in language learning but exploiting role-playing and writing aspects. The "Walk on Ice" takes a group of adult English-as-a-Second-Language learners through the creation of imaginary characters who…

The science program at the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa) has entered into a resource-sharing agreement with a community college, which uses university materials and methods but provides its own staffing. To date, university students have outperformed community college students in all course components, suggesting a need for staff…

Montana developed an alternative certification program for special educators in response to severe personnel shortages in rural schools. Program strengths include 2 years of mentoring and flexibility in delivery that allows participants to earn certification while working. Evaluation results are presented along with suggested improvements, which…

An inner-city Omaha high school created an untracked, wholly desegregated 2-year thematic science curriculum for all 9th and 10th graders. Under the outdoor community study theme, students participate in a simulated archaeological dig of an Omaha Indian earth lodge, study the school grounds' ecological status, and design areas along a proposed…

Describes a collaborative parent-involvement project for inner-city Hispanic primary students sponsored by the Chicago Community Trust. A university professor, two graduate assistants, the principal, and the school community representative designed a summer program featuring hospitality and support activities, free books, and hands-on science and…

The process that Kenyon College (Ohio) used in researching development of a campus-wide information system (CWIS) is outlined, and the most important issues to be considered in launching a successful CWIS are identified, including resources, needs, ownership, access, personnel, content, policy, design, staffing, marketing, and ongoing development.…

A York University (Ontario) project in which four French second-language teachers paired with peers for observation of their classroom techniques and interactions is described. It is concluded that this form of extensive peer- and self-evaluation is a powerful tool for understanding the complexity of language teaching and learning. (Contains 14…