A community resource program, Minds in the Making, was designed to expand the existing elementary program for gifted and talented students in an urban district to include typically underserved populations. Qualitative assessment by students, teachers, and the community indicated the program met its goals. The program was also successfully…

This article describes a program of the Lyric Opera Company of Chicago (Illinois) that brought opera to the classroom of students with deafness in grades three through six. The four-session program explored vocabulary, music, story-telling, and Japanese culture and culminated in a student production of "Madame Butterfly." (JDD)

Describes collaboration between Phineas Bates School and Washington-Beech Community Preschool in Boston, which links public housing families with preschool children to nearby elementary school. Lack of child care often prevents parents from working or furthering their own education. By integrating early childhood education with child care, program…

Explores an effort by Colgate University (New York) to enhance economic development in two low-income hamlets in New York through community-visioning programs. Describes the process of community visioning and shows how Colgate has been instrumental in its promotion. Argues that universities are better situated than governments or nonprofits to…

Discusses two areas central to the development mission of the University of Massachusetts (Lowell): (1) restructuring activities for a transformative effect on the regional economy while maintaining academic standards, and (2) who should be involved in these decisions. Reviews projects undertaken by the university under a community-outreach…

Presents a case study of the Campus Affiliates Program, a collaborative venture designed to revitalize the most severely impoverished sectors of New Orleans (Louisiana). Focuses on processes that created the program; organizing principles; obstacles encountered; and impacts of the program on faculty, students, staff, and institutions. (DSK)

This paper describes the structure, content and requirements of the service-learning component of first professional year pharmacy students. It also provides excerpts from student reaction logs describing their experiences. (Author)

Investigated the process by which student service learning was integrated into the academic curricula of 14 diverse colleges and universities in North Carolina. Interviews with key informants at each campus and analysis of pertinent documents indicated that the process of implementation involved three stages: sponsorship, brokering, and…

Nursing home programs committed to providing quality care need to investigate innovative ways to meet today's budget challenges. The purpose of this article is to describe a creative collaboration between a nonprofit nursing home facility and a suburban university. Through service-learning, undergraduate students planned and implemented…

Background: This study examined physical activity opportunities and barriers at 36 geographically diverse middle schools participating in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls. Methods: Principals, physical education and health education department heads, and program leaders were interviewed to assess policies and instructional practices that…

Superintendents are in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a golden opportunity to reverse a trend that threatens the nation's schools and communities. They are now uniquely positioned to stop the retreat of good-hearted, well-intentioned citizens from public life. In this article, the authors present perpetual traps that…

In the spring of 2005, the Bush administration announced that guidelines for following the mandates of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) had been made less restrictive. More of this "loosening" will follow, albeit quietly, lest the public discover the delusional qualities that went into the original version of the bill. Nevertheless, NCLB has…

"Higher Education Exchange" publishes case studies, analyses, news, and ideas about efforts within higher education to develop more democratic societies. Contributors to this issue of the "Higher Education Exchange" examine whether institutions of higher learning are doing anything to increase the capacity of citizens to shape…

This publication identifies five levels of gang activity in middle and high schools and presents corresponding strategies for dealing with troublesome situations. The five levels of involvement include: (1) no known gang activity; (2) limited gang activity; (3) emerging gang activity; (4) community in crisis; and (5) gang-controlled community. A…

This report presents the findings of an evaluation of a three-year teacher enhancement project from the Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC). Under this project, middle school teachers were recruited and trained to develop and implement integrated science, social studies, and service-learning units in their classrooms. The project offered…