Coalition building and school restructuring unfortunately do not always occur together. But the two forces can complement each other and combine their resources and strengths. Coalitions are organizations or groups of individuals who share a commitment to a particular issue. Although coalitions involved in school restructuring may in the long run…

The five studies reviewed in this brief publication examine the scope of current research on service learning and its effects on participants. An introduction defines service learning as "an instructional practice in which students perform service as a way of complementing the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom." Titles and authors of…

This ERIC digest presents a summary of discussions from urban educators who addressed the issue of school violence at a National Education Association meeting held May 19, 1994. These educators note that American society is steeped in violence, particularly in urban areas, where children experience frustration, helplessness, and anger, and where…

This digest discusses issues related to the implementation of high quality early childhood education by public school districts. Contents focus on: (1) the development of a written statement of philosophy; (2) the analysis of screening and assessment practices; (3) organization of the learning environment; (4) teacher preparation; (5) parent…

Research and evaluation staff members in schools and school districts are frequently called on to answer questions about the quality of schools. Responding merely with test scores is not sufficient, because it is important to communicate information about the total educational program in the district. Additional measures are available.…

Over the last two decades, there has been a growing body of research evidence suggesting important benefits to be gained by elementary-age schoolchildren when their parents provide support, encouragement, and direct instruction in the home and school and maintain good communication with the school and related organizations. Involvement is often a…

Building community collaboration and commitment for educating students in urban districts was the theme of the January 29-31, 1992, meeting of the Urban Superintendents' Network. Presentations and discussions focused on the political nature of education, Chapter 1 legislation, the use of educational technology, and educational standards and…

This monograph is written to help school administrators and policy makers, in addressing the question of safe schools, separate analytically what is "school" and what is "society" in order to better understand the real span of the school's control. The central question is: what are the characteristics of safe and effective…

This monograph reviews the literature in three key domains (home, school, and public policy), each of which appears to foster achievement in African American children. Three core sections comprise this review. The first section looks at the research on family influences, including socioeconomic factors, the socialization of achievement, the…

In recent years, many schools, churches, social groups, and corporations have found it desirable to implement programs designed to improve the English communicative abilities of their employees, students, or clients. This report attempts to provide these institutions with a general picture of the ESL situation today and to suggest ways in which…

This book highlights information from a project that focused on where and how content-based English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction has been implemented in pre-K through Grade 12 classrooms in public schools across the United States. A database was constructed of 3,000 public schools that have content-ESL programs. Descriptions of the…