This paper proposes that schools can participate with communities to partially alleviate the concerns about a steady blood supply. A review of the literature reveals the effective use of social learning models to encourage high school students to participate in blood drives. Combining an educational approach with a psychological approach to obtain…

Data were collected for this action research to determine the value of an extrinsic reward as a self-management tool for motivating eighth grade language arts students. The sample was drawn from students at a school in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The school was one of two middle schools in the city. This convenience sample…

This study evaluated Generation II of the Faith in Action program (which united faith-based organizations and volunteers in providing in-home care), assessing how many original grantees still served their communities, numbers of volunteers and clients involved with the programs, services provided, and program growth since receiving surveys of…

This paper summarizes seven school-reform models demonstrating "strong" and "promising" evidence of effectiveness in improving student achievement according to a rating scale designed by the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The intent of this summary is to assist districts and schools in the Pacific region in identifying…

The Summer Pre-Graduate Research Experience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) was established in 1988 for the purpose of contributing to an increase in the number of underrepresented minority students pursuing graduate degrees. Each summer, students convene at UNC-CH to participate in a 10-week summer research program.…

This report is the product of a 2-year project during which the Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth, a 15-member panel, evaluated and integrated the current science on adolescent health and development with research and findings regarding program design, implementation, and evaluation of community programs for youth. It highlights…

This review of the literature on parental involvement in urban schools is organized into three sections: (1) types of parental involvement; (2) practical involvement activities found in successful urban school programs; and (3) characteristics of successful urban school parental involvement programs. The research reports and surveys reviewed…

This report is based on a survey of two statewide samples of elementary schools whose fourth-grade students took a state test in reading, writing, mathematics, and listening. The first sample was a group of 30 schools whose scores had improved significantly from 1997 to 1998. The second sample was a comparison group of 10 schools that served…

Rather than being just the presentation of information, environmental education helps learners achieve environmental literacy, which has attitude and behavior components in addition to a knowledge component. This form of environmental education has its roots in nature study, conservation education, outdoor education, and the U.N. Tbilisi…

This paper examines Breaking Ranks, a proposal for school reform and restructuring intended to improve the effectiveness of America's high schools. The review drew upon memo writing, a personal interview with an administrator utilizing the Breaking Ranks blueprint, a review of periodicals and books on Breaking Ranks and on school restructuring, a…

In 1993, the Connecticut State Department of Education received federal support for the activities of nine existing Family Resource Centers (FRC) and for funding new FRCs. The FRCs were based on the premise that many childhood and adolescent problems can be prevented by strengthening effective family management practices and establishing a…

The development of standardized performance measurements, the widespread use of such measures in Medicaid, and the planned uses of such measures in the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide significant opportunities for child advocates to improve child health services. This issue brief describes the growth of managed care organizations,…

Given the strong interest in school-based mentoring programs, Public/Private Ventures visited two exemplary mentoring programs chosen by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). One program was in Green County, Oklahoma, and the other in Jacksonville, Florida. Researchers talked with parents, teachers, children, and mentors to learn more…

In early 1994, Central Falls, Rhode Island's Kids First, a collaborative partnership between the Central Falls School Department and local community leaders, launched a pilot universally-free school breakfast program (UF-SBP) called "Operation Breakfast." One of the goals of Operation Breakfast was to improve SBP participation; school…

Effective faculty professional development programs in independent schools can lead to a collegial, intellectually stimulating school culture. These programs can inspire exciting partnerships. Importantly, there's a "trickle down effect"; energized faculty lead to energized students. Yet, many independent schools lack faculty…