Describes the Parent-Teacher Action Research Project, a multisite collaborative action research project involving eight schools that are part of the national reform network, the League of Schools Reaching Out. In project schools, teams of parents, teachers, and, in some cases, principals and students collaborate on family-school-community…

Describes the School-Community Connection Conference held in Flint (Michigan) on October 11-13, 1992, and the action plans that seven participating schools devised to improve the relationship between schools and their communities. The conference paired representatives from the state departments of education with school-based action teams to…

Explores issues faced by designers of school choice systems as numbers and types of choice arrangements proliferate and become more complex. Defines elements of a successful system of choice. The system developed will depend on the intentions, assumptions, and commitments present in the initial design. (SLD)

Considers issues of school choice and school autonomy. Parents, society as a whole, and the educator team of each school should have a lead role in answering the basic questions about schooling. Examples from schools in other countries illustrate some new approaches to school autonomy. (SLD)

Identifies roles and strategies that district and state agencies can use to support action research at the school level. Districts can pool resources, develop collaborative relationships with other agencies, and improve funding. State governments have similar roles, and can help disseminate best practices across regions. (SLD)