In September 1995, the Scranton Area Family Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, initiated a twice-weekly literacy class designed to build low-income parents' educational skills and personal confidence while simultaneously encouraging family literacy activities. Eight parents of children in the Scranton School District attended the class and received…

Often, parents walk into their children's schools and feel as if they don't have a place to "hang their hats." This guide argues that districts should establish a school family center as a focus of activity and learning for parents, school supporters, and children. The goal of the family center is to provide an avenue for participation…

This instructional unit is aimed at Grade 4, limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, music, art, physical education, and drama. It uses the California "Gold Rush" historical time period to teach students English language, concentrating on pre-production, early production, speech…

This report examines the use of community-based support to facilitate curriculum renewal efforts in small rural school districts. Interviews with educators from five school districts in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington describe three approaches to curriculum renewal: community-initiated approaches, state-directed reform efforts, and…

This brochure, one in a series of four, is designed to assist school, community, and university personnel as they develop and refine programs to encourage girls in mathematics, science, and engineering. The information is divided into seven sections. The first section discusses four reasons why programs that encourage girls to enroll in…

Designed to help parents and teachers think beyond the ordinary ways in which parent-family involvement in education is considered and approached, this book describes 34 operational parent-family involvement programs in preschools and in elementary, middle, and high schools. It also describes programs run by school districts and communities. Among…

This report recommends a statewide plan of action to ensure that Pennsylvania schools provide quality school health education programs. It is the culmination of a process undertaken by the Quality School Health Education Project, initiated in response to the Year 2000 national health objective on school health education. The project identified…

This handbook is part of a packet intended to aid educators, families, and adult service providers to facilitate the transition from school to adult life in the community for students with both cognitive disabilities and visual or dual sensory impairments. Emphasis is on transition planning and community based instruction, including vocational…

This report recommends ways to integrate values education into schools' curricula. Societal problems indicate that values play as important a role in students' development as math and science, as suggested by statistics on increasing teenage suicide, pregnancies, and dropping out. While it is important to ensure that at-risk students become…

A suspension school for secondary students, established in the 1977-78 school year in an Arkansas school district has developed specific program goals and procedures. Following a discussion of the school's origins, this paper describes operating procedures, philosophy, support system, and student reaction. Suspensions declined considerably through…

Lewis-Clark State College, a small college in Lewiston, Idaho, establishes close cooperation with rural schools through specialized teacher preparation, community outreach, and willingness to bring educational ideas and expertise to rural areas. The teacher preparation program stresses development of professional versatility through composite…

To most settlers in rural North Dakota, the community was the universe, and the rural school served as a community center. The Christmas program was a universal favorite in rural schools, but it was only one of several programs for the public. Local customs, ethnic backgrounds, and a particular teacher's fondness for a holiday or season gave…

Articles in this issue of "Current Issues in Catholic Higher Education" concern the results of pilot projects in peace and justice education at several colleges and universities, along with initiatives made at other institutions. In "Report on ACCU's Pilot Programs," David Johnson provides an overview of the experiences of the…

THE ROLE OF SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL-COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (SCIP) IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH IS DISCUSSED IN THIS REPORT. THE MAJOR FOCUS OF THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN ON IMPROVING COMMUNICATION SKILLS AT ALL GRADE LEVELS, BUT IT HAS ALSO BEEN CONCERNED WITH THE EMPLOYABILITY OR COLLEGE PLACEMENT OF DISADVANTAGED…

This pamphlet describes the Distinguished Achievement Awards of The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education which were conceived in 1965 as an annual event to encourage member colleges and universities to describe their successful programs and, in turn, to stimulate other institutions to greater action. Presented in the first half…