Describes examples drawn mostly from urban areas that required the building of coalitions between schools and communities to create a new, more democratic context for curriculum development. Cited are the nationwide Vocational Education Project, the Southern Coalition for Educational Equity, and the "Rethinking Schools" progressive newsletter in…

Asserts that productive education programs combine academic study with productive work. Discusses drop-out prevention and the difficulty of integrating academic study and vocational training. Concludes that there are many successful examples that can be used as models. (CFR)

Developed and field-tested by an English teacher using a group of at-risk, urban high-school students, this book shows how to create a constructivist, or student-centered, approach to teaching English--one that encourages critical thinking. The book shows educators how to develop new and effective teaching units and includes reproducible…

This book presents affirmative strategies to rid schools of discrimination. Many of these strategies were developed as a result of research in four public high schools with large percentages of ethnic and language minority students in the deep south. The study, which consisted of 48 30-90 minute interviews, suggested that there is wide student…

Using as its premise that access and excellence are mutually interdependent goals for urban community colleges, this monograph considers the direction and nature of programmatic responses to the needs of the constituencies of urban two-year colleges and the direction and quality of the research efforts required to measure institutional impact on…

High school administrators are concerned about the contribution of student absenteeism to poor academic performance and the likelihood of dropping out. Administrators are faced with the difficult task of deciding which incentives will make regular school attendance more meaningful to students, and which penalties may make truancy and class cutting…

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…

Extension educators teach the same information to disadvantaged youth and their families as to any other audience, and those being helped are just as willing to learn. The difference is that families with limited resources have many barriers that slow the process of change to self-sufficiency. As extension educators plan and implement programs,…

This booklet offers a set of guidelines for developing a community-based coalition dedicated to improving the education of at-risk minority students. The guide offers and is organized around the following nine-step plan for the development and implementation of strategies to mobilize a community: (1) "the initiation: build core support"; (2)…

This training manual is designed for use by volunteers, tutors, teachers, and education and training program coordinators who wish to adapt basic literacy instructional skills to street youth. It is not intended to be a stand-alone training program for new volunteer tutors. Major goals are the following: (1) to re-engage street youth in the…

This manual explains the role and responsibilities of case managers employed by social service agencies participating in the Takin' It to the Streets program in Portland (Oregon). It is a companion volume to "Basic Skills Training for Street Youth: A Manual for Volunteer Tutors." Takin' It to the Streets is a volunteer project designed…

Describes a 60-hour university-public school-business career guidance institute for Richmond, Virginia, middle and high school teachers and other school personnel. The institute was designed to provide urban educators with the business and work information they needed to work with their students. Includes the institute's schedule, content, and…

Discusses a cultural environment education curriculum that helps children appreciate their city, its buildings, and its history. The curriculum includes walking field trips, service projects, and collaborative efforts with other schools. Includes a table with educational objectives for the curriculum and the corresponding evaluation. (MJP)

The MLE Learning Center, a publicly funded day care center and after-school program in Brooklyn, New York, helps children develop awareness of a global community by using local resources to teach the children about the rainforest. (LB)

This book documents a year in the life of five adolescents preparing for college. The text examines the different pathways that brought these students to where they are: living in poverty, attending overcrowded schools, and the pressure to be the first in their families to attend college are just a few of the challenges these students must battle…