The educational funding system in Massachusetts has become less equitable than before, since the passage of Proposition Two and a Half. A decision-making process driven by zero-sum economics, rather than educational needs, is particularly harmful to urban youth; failure to educate every young American threatens the nation's social and economic…

Four examples are given of Teacher Corps school-based staff development projects in Massachusetts. An introductory chapter identifies characteristics of successful staff development efforts, based on participatory decision making, the needs of teachers, students, and the community, and cooperation between the university and the school. The first…

THE PROGRAM OFFERS EXPERIENCED SCHOOL PERSONNEL A CHANCE FOR SUPERVISED INQUIRY AND EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELDS OF INSTRUCTION, SUPERVISION, ADMINISTRATION, AND GUIDANCE, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF URBAN SCHOOLS. THE PROGRAM HOPES TO EXAMINE VARIOUS PROBLEMS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, TEACHING PROCEDURE, SCHOOL AND STAFF ORGANIZATION,…

This report is an evaluation of the attempt of the Boston resource team to improve the physical and educational conditions in the Dearborn school district during the 1970-71 school year. The team identified four goals for its work in the Dearborn annex: (1) improving the physical appearance of the Dearborn school; (2) involving more parents in the…

This pamphlet contains the lectures delivered during an inservice course for staff in the Boston public schools to acquaint them with the characteristics of their Negro students. The contents include: Rev. Edward L. Murphy, S.J., "The Urbanization of America"; Catherine M. Maney, "Preventive and Remedial Programs for the…

When the paraprofessional in bilingual education is used effectively, individual needs and individual differences of the students are met. An approach to the training of the paraprofessional has been developed at the Merrimack Education Center (MEC). The training program involves active participation of all paraprofessionals. Understanding and…

The papers in this document feature four themes: religion and education, the nature of childhood and its relationship to education, urban educational problems, and the character of educational journalism. Part 1 begins with "A Common Faith for the Common School? Religion and Education in Kansas, 1861-1900" (J. C. Carper) which compares…

This handbook draws attention to the problem of dropouts in Massachusetts and offers solutions to increase the chances that all students will succeed. It suggests the need for systemic, school-based changes to foster learning environments that meet the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive needs of all students and staff. The handbook is…

Describes the Family Math program for elementary school students and their families in Springfield (Massachusetts). Goals include the following: (1) increase minority parent participation; (2) overcome math anxiety; and (3) encourage mathematics participation. (FMW)

This paper focuses on educational policy issues in Massachusetts of concern to Latinos in areas of retention and achievement, with a goal of recommending policy research. Nationally, Hispanic American students are not served by current educational initiatives. Rather, this group bears the brunt of the dropout rates and low school achievement…

The purpose of this study is to examine the gains and losses to different groups in the population if currently prevalent methods of state aid to local public schools are replaced by popular reform plans. Criteria for financing public education are discussed and a method is proposed to analyze suggested reform plans. Data from the state of…

In July 1985 the Supreme Court ruled in Aguilar v. Felton that public school employees could no longer provide instruction, including Chapter 1 services, on religious school premises, previously the most common service delivery model used. This study addresses the following questions: (1) what portion of the decline in services to nonpublic school…

This paper reports qualitative and quantitative data obtained about relationships between 27 students with special language needs or learning disabilities and their nondisabled peers (N=99) in four integrated eighth grade classes of an urban middle school in Massachusetts. The study involved approximately 120 hours of in-school observation over a…

Because it is based upon the premise that learning is a lifelong process and that citizen involvement is essential to neighborhood problem solving, community education is particularly attuned to the current needs of cities and can be particularly effective in responding to urban housing needs. One way in which leaders can simultaneously address…

In April 1984, more than 350 parents, teachers, principals and administrators from major urban school systems in Massachusetts met to define what an "excellent" desegregated urban public school system should be. This conference report, following excerpts from a keynote address by John E. Durkin, documents seven workshops which focused on…