The purpose of this guide is to provide information on how to use early warning data, including the Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS), to identify, diagnose, support and monitor students in grades 1-12. It offers educators an overview of EWIS and how to effectively use these data in conjunction with local data by following a…

This handbook is designed to assist schools in organizing and managing an effective school improvement council. It is divided into six sections. Section I describes the benefits of a school improvement council from the perspective of the school district, parents and citizens, teachers, the school administration, and students. Section II provides…

This simulation allows students to learn about the struggle of daily life in Plymouth Colony. Students experience the hardships of life in the New World as they make decisions and face consequences as the Pilgrims did nearly 400 years ago. The unit is divided into nine phases with each phase taking approximately one hour of class time. Students…

This pamphlet provides an overview of current research on home-school collaboration and strategies that schools can use to develop partnerships with their students' parents or guardians. An introduction lists the benefits of increasing parent involvement (higher grades and test scores, long-term academic achievement, positive attitudes and…

This guide, second in a series of four volumes, offers a method of surveying parents' attitudes about choosing schools for their children and provides a survey instrument used over a period of 5 years in four Massachusetts urban school districts. Section 1 introduces the basic research questions pursued in the survey. Section 2, "The Parent…

This fourth and final guide in a series of volumes addresses parents who desire assistance in selecting the appropriate school for their child. The guide provides narratives and "real life" descriptions of actual occurrences in schools that advertise themselves as emphasizing a particular style or philosophy of teaching or curricular…

Summarizes some ways Massachusetts schools have trimmed their budgets in response to Proposition 2 1/2 and offers suggestions concerning how other schools or districts could go about doing the same. (JM)

Controlled choice is a method of desegregation that is voluntary, empowers parents and school staff, and leads to new and exciting school organization and curriculum. To move in the direction of controlled choice, substantial changes in present school organization and operation must be made. This planning guide, based upon the actual experiences…

The monograph presents essential components of a decision making sequence used to incorporate formalized family assessment and service planning procedures into two existing early intervention programs in Massachusetts. The 1-year effort used a consultant to: (1) redefine screening and assessment processes to include both child and family centered…

The goal of this guide is to provide Massachusetts teachers of visually impaired students with an opportunity to increase the quality of evaluation procedures through a more consistent approach to assessment and to provide a means of recording the outcomes of such assessment procedures in more meaningful ways. The guide covers basic elements…

A fairness committee consists of a group of about 15 people, usually students, teachers, and administrators, who are either volunteers or are elected. This committee tries to improve the overall school climate by improving the quality of relationships between students, teachers, and administrators. It offers a neutral place for individuals to…