Discusses literature on student disengagement in school and efforts to improve student engagement in learning. Includes list of standards for engaged learning. (PKP)

Like British morning programs of recent decades, upstate New York program encourages parents and community residents to get involved in children's education. Parents and community residents--watercolor artists, auto mechanics, doll collectors, and others--are welcomed and valued in schools. Program's purpose is learning, not entertainment. Topics…

In this article, the author stresses that teachers need to teach their students to think critically and to reason their way. One prerequisite for teaching critical thinking is a classroom climate of high expectations, teacher warmth and encouragement, and pleasant physical surroundings. Schools should see to it that students become progressively…

Typically, high performing schools are those with high test scores. Affluent students generally have higher scores than poorer students. True high performing schools require students to take rigorous courses, hire extremely competent teachers, and for teachers to know every student well. They use their limited funds efficiently to improve teaching…

Stress seems to be a way of life for teachers. Many teachers describe themselves as over-whelmed. They admit to feeling anxious and apprehensive, especially about meeting the mounting needs of troubled students, doing justice to an all-consuming curriculum, and getting kids ready for a relentless series of tests. According to a study of Midwestern…