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This guide is intended for school leaders who want to create partnerships with families and community members in their schools. There are many reasons to want to increase family and community engagement. First and foremost, family and community engagement helps students achieve. In addition, creating partnerships allows for the pooling of resources so the school has access to more services, creates a stronger community, and improves school practices. This guide is directed at school leaders because, though any parent, member of the school community, or community organization can initiate a partnership, principals play a key role in the success of school partnerships. Principals have the power to set the tone of the school; if a principal is not invested in engaging families and the community, the teachers and school staff will not exert much effort to do so. Any major school culture shift will have trouble succeeding without the support of the school administration, and effective partnerships require a committed school culture. Partnerships involve more than just inviting families and community members to participate at the school. They require sharing power and responsibility, not to mention resources, to achieve a common goal: the academic achievement and developmental growth of students. (Contains 22 footnotes and 6 resources.)

Daily text messaging among American teens has shot up in the past 18 months, from 38% of teens texting friends daily in February of 2008 to 54% of teens texting daily in September 2009. And it's not just frequency--teens are sending enormous quantities of text messages a day. Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month. Older teen girls ages 14-17 lead the charge on text messaging, averaging 100 messages a day for the entire cohort. The youngest teen boys are the most resistant to texting--averaging 20 messages per day. Text messaging has become the primary way that teens reach their friends, surpassing face-to-face contact, email, instant messaging and voice calling as the go-to daily communication tool for this age group. However, voice calling is still the preferred mode for reaching parents for most teens. This study is based on the 2009 Parent-Teen Cell Phone Survey which obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 800 teens age 12-to-17 years-old and their parents living in the continental United States and on 9 focus groups conducted in 4 U.S. cities in June and October 2009 with teens between the ages of 12 and 18. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. The interviews were done in English by Princeton Data Source, LLC from June 26 to September 24, 2009. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. (Contains 2 tables and 57 footnotes.) [This project was undertaken in collaboration with researchers in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.]

The Family Income Standard (FIS), developed in Arkansas as a more adequate measure of families' economic well-being than the widely-criticized Federal Poverty Level (FPL), is defined as the amount of money a working family must earn to meet its daily living needs without assistance from charities. This report details the effort to update and improve the FIS for the state, providing FIS estimates for 75 Arkansas counties and statewide. The FIS was calculated for six family types varying in the number of parents in the household, the number of children, and the number of employed parents in the household. Findings indicated that the FIS ranged from $21,668 annually for two parents (one employed) with one child to $35,658 for two parents (both employed) with two children. Because two-parents families with a stay-at-home parent do not pay for childcare and have lower transportation costs and a different tax burden, their FIS was considerably lower than parents who are both employed. The largest expenses for families depended on the number of children and whether both parents were employed. The FIS was found to be roughly twice the FPL and higher than prevailing federal minimum wages. County-level FIS differences resulted from differences in costs of four major FIS components: housing, childcare, taxes, and other basic necessities, such as personal care and household items. Delineated in the report are FIS data for each family type in each county and statewide. The report also discusses implications for tax policy, subsidized early care and education, health care, and workforce education. The report concludes by noting that Arkansas has an opportunity to develop state policies that help families achieve economic self-sufficiency and more adequately meet their basic needs. (KB)

Using a wide array of government data, this report examines the impact of the 1990s economy and other developments on the living standards of Arkansas's working families and their children. Information is provided on: (1) unemployment rates by geographic region, educational level, and race; (2) employment and average weekly earnings by industry group; (3) income trends; (4) poverty and child poverty rates; (5) income gap between rich and poor; (6) the impact of welfare reform; (7) child care, health care, and housing needs; (8) tax burden; and (9) Arkansas usage of the federal earned income tax credit. The report concludes with a discussion of issues facing working Arkansas, including economic development, workforce development, assets and savings, tax policy, health care, quality child care and early childhood education, food and nutrition, welfare to work, housing, and unemployment insurance. (EV)

Noting that child poverty has been a persistent problem for Arkansas children despite improvements in the economy, this Kids Count special report focuses on child poverty in Arkansas. The report examines how child poverty is measured and notes the limitation of existing poverty data; it also discusses the causes and consequences of poverty and highlights the family risk index to illustrate how poverty interacts with other characteristics to produce risk. The report further summarizes findings of national studies on the consequences of child poverty, including education and health outcomes, neighborhood safety, and crime. Factors contributing to child poverty are examined, including strength of the state and local economies and parents' low education and inadequate job skills. The report notes that each year that an Arkansas child lives in poverty costs that child $8,988 in lost lifetime earnings. Characteristics of poor families are described, including adults' employment status, family structure, race, educational level, parent age, geographic location, and type of employment. County differences in child poverty rates are also identified. The report then examines the impact of safety net programs such as social insurance, cash assistance, and food stamps on child poverty, and discusses the impact of welfare reform. The report concludes with a consideration of new trends in public policy. Child poverty data by county for 1989, 1993, and 1995 are appended. (KB)

This project aims to provide basic steps for students to restore and create wildlife habitats on school grounds. Four chapters are included in this guide, and each chapter is divided into teacher and student sections. Chapter 1 provides necessary information for starting a habitat project. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 discuss the details for the Forest Habitat Project, the Wetland Habitat Project, and the Meadow Habitat Project. (YDS)

This paper presents two ways that schools can enhance their reputation: the annual back-to-school night and recognition programs for alumni. For back-to-school night, guests should be welcomed with enthusiasm and parents should be informed of the school's achievements. Since many staff members have never been coached on parent-friendly behavior, teachers should receive training for dealing with parents. Teachers should greet parents at the door, should make sure that their presentation fits into the allotted time, should show enthusiasm for the students and the curriculum, should dress professionally when dealing with parents and the community, and should be prepared to answer some of the common questions that parents ask. Parents will also be interested in seeing how graduates of the school have fared in their professional lives. A wall of fame can serve such a purpose. A key element for a successful wall of fame is the formation of an organizing committee to set criteria for induction. Once the honorees are selected, the school can host a reception for inductees, and recognition plaques can be prominently displayed in a special area. Furthermore, the honorees can interact with students, thus serving as inspirational role models. (RJM)

The report presents the Adult Basic Education (ABE) 321/326 California learning progress and goal attainment data for fiscal year 1998-99. Chapter 1 introduces an overview of adult basic education in California and contains information about ABE 321/326 federal programs and the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASES). It discusses learner population, instruments, and data collection methods. Chapter 2 provides information about program services and individuals served based on data from learners enrolled in these programs during the census period of September 1-October 31, 1998. Chapter 3 provides information about program services and individuals served in the Local Agency Population: Adult Schools, Community Colleges, Community-Based Organizations, Library Literacy programs, County Offices of Education, and Jail programs. Chapter 4 provides information about local agency learners' goal attainment, which includes learners' enrollment status, progress, and results, as well as their reasons for leaving early. It focuses on the changes that occurred for learners during the instructional period. Chapter 5 discusses learner characteristic data regarding gender, ethnic background, native language, age, years of education, and highest degree earned. Chapter 6 provides information about test scores and learning gains. Chapter 7 provides information about program services, which includes the time of day classes met, the number of students in each class, the number of hours the class met each week, classroom support, the emphasis of classroom instruction, primary instructional setting, and primary physical setting. Chapter 8 provides information about program services, individuals served, and goal attainment in four state agency ABE 321/326 programs. Chapter 9 provides information about program services, individuals served, and goal attainment for the California special education population. Chapter 10 looks at implications of report results for future data collection efforts. (Includes appendices.) (VWC)

This report examines the financial needs of Arkansas families, and establishes, using conservative economic assumptions, an annual Family Income Standard (FIS) for the state and each of its counties. The FIS is a new tool to be used by citizens, state and local policy makers, civic organizations, non-profits, and parents as they look to improve the economic well-being of their communities. The components of the standard include the essential living expenses of families with children, such as: (1) child care; (2) food; (3) housing and utilities; (4) transportation; (5) health care; (6) clothing and miscellaneous items; and (7) taxes. Because the standard reflects the resources needed to support a family with children without outside assistance, it does not include public assistance such as food stamps, Transitional Employment Assistance, subsidized child care or housing, or subsidized health care such as Medicaid. To develop estimates of the FIS for Arkansas, a modified version of the approach popularized by Wider Opportunities for Women was used. The 1999 Arkansas FIS reveals that families require an income close to 200 percent of the current federal poverty level to meet basic daily living needs. The standard is $18,805 annually for a one-parent family with one child (assumed to be under age 6), $22,372 for a two-parent family with one child, $24,833 for a one-parent family with two children, and $28,541 for a two-parent family with two children. (The report includes numerous tables and figures.) (EV)

In response to federal welfare reform legislation, Arkansas created the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program in April 1997. The goal of this Kids Count report is to increase awareness regarding issues underlying the early implementation of TEA, focusing on caseload reductions, demographic composition of the caseload, level of support provided by state agencies to TEA families, and the impact of TEA on the well-being of children and families. The report describes the experiences of three women with TEA and provides statistical data to highlight the program's early effectiveness. The report notes that the TEA caseload declined by nearly 43 percent since its inception. The approval rate for new applications declined precipitously, and the number of new applications received decreased slightly. Regarding demographics, single-parent TEA cases had the biggest decline in comparison to child-only or two-parent cases, and whites have left the TEA caseload at a much faster rate than other racial groups. Regarding supportive services, child care was the most used support service. Most adult TEA caseheads participated in a work-related activity, with the most common activities being job search JTPA (Job Training Partnership Act) referrals, and unsubsidized employment. Only 50 percent of adults whose TEA cases were closed were employed immediately in the next quarter, with over 80 percent of the employed parents earning wages below the federal poverty line. Although only 40 percent of the closed cases due to noncompliance have had completed home visits to monitor children's well-being, 80 percent of these home visits identified no problem with child well-being. (KB)

This 12-section handbook, based on information for Colorado but applicable to other states as well, contains resources and lists and explains procedures to establish or expand a career guidance center in a school, government office, or organization. The 12 sections cover the following topics: (1) purpose and philosophy; (2) assessment, advisory boards, and goals and objectives; (3) location and floor plans; (4) levels of development; (5) career assessment tools; (6) career exploration tools; (7) career center day-to-day operations; (8) presenting resources; (9) documentation, accountability, and reporting; (10) support services; (11) 38 references and resources; and (12) 13 selected ordering sources. Five appendixes contain a career center needs assessment survey for faculty and staff; a needs-assessment questionnaire for high school students; a faculty request for services form; a sample basic intake form; and a sample career center student intake form. (KC)

A compact is a commitment to sharing responsibility for student learning and an action plan for a family-school-community partnership to help children get a high-quality education. All across America parents, teachers, and community and business leaders are creating such compacts to build and strengthen partnerships for improved student learning. This handbook is designed to take a family-school compact team through the steps of building a compact. It provides information, strategies examples, and checklists to help parents, educators, and community members develop effective, workable compacts that can improve the school and increase student achievement. Following an introduction which describes the nature of the compact and outlines Title I legislation for high standards and student achievement, the handbook details the steps of the compact: (1) getting started--bringing the stakeholders together as a team; (2) creating the compact, including deciding the school's learning goals; (3) using the compact, including building support; (4) evaluating the results, including an example of a school profile and lessons for using evaluation data; and (5) strengthening the compact, including taking credit for what's been done right, and rethinking what needs to be done better. The handbook's concluding section discusses turning obstacles into opportunities. Worksheets for each of the five steps are included, and an appendix lists key resources. Forms from the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education are also included. Seventeen separately printed "Activity Sheets" are appended. (HTH)

Parents can play a key role in attaining the United States' National Education Goals, a main component of which is that all children will be ready to learn when they enter school. This guide for parents provides basic information on factors related to school success and a series of activities that parents can do with their children, ages 5 through 11, to help them succeed in school. Part 1 of the guide serves as an introduction. Part 2, "The Basics," addresses learning at home, in the community, and at school, and emphasizes the importance of starting early, communicating with children, handling children's homework, connecting with the community, and being involved at school. How children learn and what children learn from parents are also addressed. The importance of both active and quiet learning, limiting television viewing, and encouraging active learning are emphasized. The guide then lists important messages for parents to convey to their children about school success: (1) sharing one's own experiences and goals; (2) establishing realistic, consistent family rules; and (3) encouraging children to think about the future. Part 3 of the guide, "Activities," comprises the bulk of the guide, and contains parent-child activities arranged by approximate child age levels. Each activity lists its goal, benefits to children, materials needed, and step-by-step instructions. Part 4 of the guide, "Parents and the Schools," explains when parents should talk with teachers, gives recommendations for parent-teacher conferences, and makes suggestions for volunteering. Contains 20 references. (KDFB)

These brochures provide simple, specific activities parents can use during the summer to enhance their children's academic and social skills. The brochure for grades K-3 provides activities in the areas of reading, writing, math, and science. The brochure for grades 4-5 provides activities in the areas of reading, writing, math, and social studies; the one for grades 6-8 covers these areas and includes a health activity. The brochure for grades 9-12 focuses on problem solving and getting control of our emotions as a basis for acquiring common sense. (HTH)

This reference guide was designed to assist business, marketing, and management educators in locating textbook/instructional materials for use in teaching duty areas and task lists for grades 11-14. Duty areas and task lists are matched with selected textbook/instructional publications for the secretarial, general office clerk, and information processing curriculum clusters. Sixteen duty areas are included from these three clusters: (1) preparing client documents; (2) preparing court documents; (3) taking and transcribing dictation; (4) editing and correcting documents, records, and files; (5) coordinating and performing activities for employer; (6) filing materials manually; (7) performing financial activities; (8) inputting and storing documents and files; (9) preparing medical records and insurance forms; (10) maintaining office equipment; (11) maintaining office supplies and forms; (12) organizing and planning; (13) printing, distributing, and receiving output; (14) performing clerical activities; (15) processing mail; and (16) typewriting activities. A master list of 195 sources of data is included. A matrix of the 195 textbook/instructional materials classified by duty area is included. The bulk of this document contains selected duty areas and task lists identified with the 195 textbooks/instructional materials. Each entry includes these elements: (1) author's last name; (2) complete reference and reference number; (3) textbook/instructional materials number; and (4) duty area(s), its task name, and its page or job number in the source. (NLA)

This handbook provides advice to help parents, caregivers, and teachers arrive at personal answers to basic questions that affect children's achievement. The handbook is intended as a personal notebook in which are recorded reader responses to the home/school problems raised in the book "What Do We Say? What Do We Do?" The sections are: (1) "Confidence," detailing how to help children gain courage; (2)"Motivation," on how to help children keep interested in learning; (3) "Effort," addressing how to help children tackle hard jobs; (4) "Responsibility," on how to help children do what is right; (5) "Initiative," addressing how to help children accomplish work; (6) "Perseverance," on how to help children keep at something when success does not come immediately; (7) "Caring," detailing how to help children show love for family and friends; (8) "Teamwork," addressing how to help children work cooperatively; (9) "Common Sense," on how to help children say no; (10) "Problem Solving," outlining how to help children identify and solve a problem; (11) "Reading Together," providing checklists pertaining to parents reading aloud to children; and (12) "Keeping Track," providing a chart for recognizing and documenting a child's positive words and acts. (SD)

As the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the longest period of sustained warfare in its history, the overwhelming majority of veterans of the post-9/11 era are proud of their military service. At the same time, many report that they have had difficulties readjusting to civilian life, and have suffered from post-traumatic stress. While veterans are more supportive of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq than the general public, just one-third say that both been worth fighting. This report is based on two surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center: one of the nation's military veterans and one of the general public. A total of 1,853 veterans were surveyed, including 712 who served in the military after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The general public survey was conducted among 2,003 adult respondents. Three appendices are included: (1) Survey Methodology; (2) Topline Questionnaires; and (3) Supplemental Table on Views on Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq.

This is the fifth and final report of a longitudinal study examining the use of a comprehensive system of prevention and early intervention services in Palm Beach County, and how its use relates to the outcomes of children and families living in four targeted geographic areas (TGAs) with high rates of poverty, teen pregnancy, crime, and child abuse and neglect. Data sources included vital statistics and administrative service use records on Palm Beach County families who gave birth in 2004 and 2005; data from annual in-person household surveys with a baseline sample of 531 low-income mothers drawn from the cohort of mothers in the TGAs who gave birth in 2004 and 2005; and qualitative data from interviews with a subgroup of 40 mothers randomly selected from the larger survey sample. The authors' main concern was the system of prevention and early intervention services funded by the Children's Services Council (CSC) of Palm Beach County, particularly the Maternal Child Health Partnership (MCHP) system that was designed to serve pregnant and newly delivered mothers. Results indicate that the MCHP system initially identified mothers with many important risk factors, and that mothers with greater needs were more likely to receive services and more days of services than other mothers. Of mothers screened "at risk" who did not receive services, however, almost a third could not be located, and 15 percent declined services. Service use was affected by many other factors, including individual family characteristics, service type, and program characteristics. Receipt of MCHP services in year 1 was also associated with other service use in years 2, 3, and 5. One reason, according to mothers' reports, was that MCHP providers served an essential bridging or "brokering" role between parents and basic services, including Medicaid, food assistance, and childcare subsidies. One of the clearest findings was the disadvantaged status of children born to foreign-born mothers relative to those born to U.S.-born mothers. At the end of the study, as the focal children were getting ready for kindergarten, children of foreign-born mothers were more likely to be living at or below the poverty level, even though their caregivers were more likely to be married or living together. In light of their relative disadvantaged status, it is encouraging to note that foreign-born mothers, and particularly foreign-born Hispanic mothers, were more likely to receive treatment services from the MCHP system. On the other hand, they used fewer services outside of the MCHP system compared to U.S.-born mothers. In conclusion, study findings make clear that the emerging system of care in Palm Beach County is successfully engaging many at-risk families in needed services through the MCHP around the birth of a child. The authors end with the following set of recommendations: (1) Improve the quality and effectiveness of parenting supports and education; (2) Improve access to and quality of early care and education; (3) Increase efforts to help families stay involved in or become re-connected to needed services over time; (4) Enhance training of service providers; (5) Making location and timing of services convenient for families; (6) Improve channels of information and communication about services; (7) Strengthen relationships between the CSC system of care and other community supports and services; and (8) Improve data systems and other sources of information on service availability, use (duration, intensity), and need. Appended are: (1) Longitudinal Study Sample and Methods; (2) Additional Data on PBC and TGA Birth Cohorts, 2004-2009; and (3) Additional Data on Year 5 Study Sample. A bibliography is included. (Contains 118 tables, 13 figures and 84 footnotes.) [For the previous report, "Supporting Low-Income Parents of Young Children: The Palm Beach County Family Study Fourth Annual Report," see ED529450.]

The Children's Services Council (CSC) of Palm Beach County funded Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago to conduct a 6-year longitudinal study to examine the use and effectiveness of an array of services in the county in promoting school readiness and school success and improving family functioning among children and families most in need of support. The goal of the study is to describe the characteristics and needs of families the service system is intended to serve; how they use the services that make up the service system in Palm Beach County; and how service use is related to child and family outcomes. This report presents findings from the fourth year of in-person interviews conducted when the focal child was between 36 and 42 months of age and makes comparisons with findings from the first, second, and third years. In all analyses, the authors use 335 as the sample population, which is the number of mothers who completed all four waves of the in-person interviews. One of the clearest findings to emerge from this study thus far is the disadvantaged status of foreign-born children relative to those born in the United States. As of the fourth year of the study, these children were more likely to be living at or below the poverty level, despite the fact that their caregivers were more likely to be married or living together. In addition, some groups of foreign-born mothers reported significantly higher levels of depression and parenting stress, while others exhibited significantly lower levels of parenting skills. Most importantly, based on mothers' reports, the children of foreign-born Hispanic mothers appeared to be lagging in their development when compared to the children of other mothers. Given their relative disadvantaged status, it is encouraging to note that foreign-born mothers, and foreign-born Hispanic mothers in particular, were more likely to receive treatment services from the MCHP system. On the other hand, the authors did not find evidence that receipt of treatment services had a significant impact on maternal or child outcomes, at least as measured by this study. This suggests that it might be beneficial to examine whether and/or how treatment services offered by the system could be made more effective for all mothers, and especially for foreign-born mothers. While foreign-born mothers, and foreign-born Hispanic mothers in particular, were more likely to receive MCHP treatment services, foreign-born mothers overall used fewer services outside of the MCHP system when compared to U.S.-born mothers. Given that the MCHP system was successful in engaging foreign-born mothers in services, there may be ways that CSC could positively impact the provision of services to immigrant families by federal/state programs and agencies not funded by CSC. Finally, CSC might want to increase the amount of resources it devotes to assisting families with language, literacy, technical and other knowledge needed to navigate the application (and re-application) process for federal, state and other programs. Appended are: (1) Longitudinal Study Sample and Methods; and (2) Additional Data Tables. A bibliography is included. (Contains 100 tables, 2 figures and 82 footnotes.) [For the third annual report, "Supporting Low-Income Parents of Young Children: The Palm Beach County Family Study," see ED504250.]

For more than a decade, Florida's Palm Beach County has been building an infrastructure of prevention and early intervention services to promote and support the healthy development and school readiness of children from birth to age 8. The county began this effort with a set of programs focused on serving families in four targeted geographic areas that have high levels of risk for poverty, teen pregnancy, crime, and child maltreatment. The Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County commissioned Chapin Hall to conduct a multiyear evaluation of how families use and are affected by this system of services. The 2009 report presents findings from the third year of the study, conducted when the focal child was between 24 and 30 months old, and compares findings from the first and second year of the evaluation. The report details opportunities and challenges for Palm Beach County's broad-based effort, and suggests that flexibly designed services that can adapt to families' routines and values are more likely to be used, and would therefore provide greater stability to families' lives. (A bibliography is included. Four appendices are included: (1) Longitudinal Study Sample and Methods; (2) Sample Characteristics by Maternal Nativity; (3) Reported Service Providers at Year 3; and (4) Child Maltreatment Rates in Palm Beach County 2004-2006. Contains 16 footnotes, 10 figures and 115 tables.)

One of the four guiding principles of the National Science Education Standards is simply "science for all students" (NRC 1996). This principle underscores the belief that all students, regardless of race, gender, or disability, should have the opportunity to learn and understand the essential science content described in the Standards. Because of increasingly widespread inclusion practices and more thorough identification procedures, students with documented learning disabilities (LD) are becoming a larger percentage of the science classroom. Between 5% and 10% of all K-12 children are identified as having a specific learning disability (Department of Education 2002; Kavale and Forness 1995) and it is anticipated that this number will grow. LD students often struggle with academic challenges in both their general high school curriculum and in their science classes. Between 36% and 56% of LD students leave high school without a diploma or certificate of completion (Collett-Klingenberg 1998), and LD students score almost one standard deviation lower on science achievement tests than those students without disabilities (Anderman 1998). Using a biology unit on cell transport as the content anchor, the authors present six principles and practical examples, which were developed as a follow-up to the "Biology Success" project (an NSF grant-funded project designed to give introductory high school and college biology instructors ideas, tools, and inspiration for teaching diverse learners). By applying the principles and practices described in this article (drawn from a review of science teaching and special education literature and the authors' combined 20-year plus years of experience working at a school designed to meet the needs of students with LD and/or attention deficit disorders), science teachers can better serve the personal and academic needs of LD students and thus help realize the vision of the National Science Education Standards guiding principle of "science for all."

Investigates the effects of computers and Internet technology on teaching and learning. Presents electronic examples that integrate well with high-quality mathematics instructional programs. (KHR)

This lesson plan was developed through "Economics International," an international program to help build economic education infrastructures in the emerging market economies. It provides a lesson description; appropriate age level; economic concepts; content standards and benchmarks; related subject areas; instructional objectives; time required for lesson completion; materials needed; a detailed step-by-step procedure for classroom implementation; closure questions; assessment exercises; and extension exercises. The lesson also contains a visual and three activity sheets. The lesson explores how gross domestic product (GDP) is determined and discusses its major components. (BT)

Uses the story "The Life of a Drop of Water" to initiate a creative writing activity and teach about the water cycle. Attempts to stimulate students' understanding of a scientific concept by using their imaginations. (YDS)

Presents six games (most for all ages) used in adventure and experiential settings. Includes target group, group size, time and space needs, activity level, overview, props, instructions, variations, and tips for processing the experience, where appropriate. The games are icebreakers, promote teamwork and social skills, or help groups to focus. One game for young children improves communication skills. (SV)

Bringing mathematics and economics together to connect them in students' minds gives students very important skills they can use in their lives. This book is intended for high school mathematics teachers, with lessons designed to reinforce the mathematics concepts and processes taught by using examples from economics. The book consists of 15 lessons showing how mathematical processes and concepts may be applied in the study of economics and personal finance. It contains lessons connecting mathematics instruction to practical problems and issues that students will encounter through their lifetimes. The minimum level of mathematics students need for each lesson is noted in the Mathematics Focus section. The lessons begin with a warm-up activity to introduce the mathematics content of the economics lesson. Copy ready activity sheets, answers, visuals for making overhead transparencies, and extension activities are provided. The lessons also include a detailed procedure section with background on the concepts presented. The book contains the following lessons: (1) "The Nature of Demand"; (2) "The Nature of Supply"; (3) "Equilibrium: Determining Prices and Quantities"; (4) "Understanding the Mathematics of Changes in Supply and Demand"; (5) "The Gains from Trade"; (6) "The Mathematics of Linear Economic Shapes: Slopes and Elasticities"; (7) "The Mathematics of Nonlinear Economic Shapes: The Production Possibilities Curve"; (8) "The Mathematics of Nonlinear Economic Shapes: The Cubic Cost Function"; (9) "Profit Mathematics"; (10) "Powerball Economics"; (11) "Cash or Annuity?"; (12) "Autonomics"; (13) "Tax Math"; (14) "The Mathematics of Savings"; and (15) "The Mathematics of Credit Card Interest and Fixed Payments." (BT)

This handbook is designed to identify, build, maintain, and expand teachers' personal and professional effectiveness using "MegaSkills." Section 1, "Knowing Your Leadership Strengths," focuses on identifying strengths, exploring how adults learn, and considering new dimensions for successful education. It also discusses seven habits of good teachers today. Section 2, "Learning About Your Own Learning," helps teachers connect past and present learning, examine what they think about their own education, and think about adult-to-adult relationships in education. Section 3, "Recognizing MegaSkills in Daily Life," helps teachers identify MegaSkills used in lifetime experiences and everyday events and see how MegaSkills work in situations of their lives. Section 4, "Using MegaSkills to Solve Problems," helps teachers to put the focus on building process into practice and to address specific workplace-related issues. Section 5, "Keeping Track of Leadership Abilities," helps teachers learn to mark and measure the progress of their MegaSkills, assess and manage their time more effectively, and work with teammates on a MegaSkills action plan. An appendix presents information on identifying additional resources and competing for clients. (SM)

The program planning guide for agricultural production was written to assist Applied Biological and Agricultural Occupations (ABAO) teachers in enriching existing programs and/or to provide the basis for expansion of offerings to include additional materials for the cluster areas of animal science, plant science, farm mechanics, and farm business management. Each guide includes the following components: an introduction (brief discussion of the subject matter); sample job titles and cluster areas (major job titles, D.O.T. numbers, O.E. numbers, and information about salaries, educational requirements, and career advancement opportunities); competencies for cluster areas and for job titles, stated as behavioral objectives; a core course outline (a representative sample of how a curriculum should be constructed, including references); sample teaching plans designed for one to five days in length (comprising cluster areas, unit titles, problem areas, a brief introduction, student performance objectives, a detailed outline of instructional content, learning activities, special materials and equipment, and student references). Also included are: specific and selected references; a brief description of school facilities; lists of equipment, supplies, and audiovisual materials; and a partial list of ways to increase teacher competencies. (BP)

This guide presents a three-week unit on the literature of Ghana. It is designed as part of an eleventh grade world literature course. General objectives include having students identify the literature of Africa with the outstanding literature of the world, change negative attitudes about Africa, and provide a broad view of the lifestyles of Africa. The unit is composed of 15 lessons. Students are introduced to an overview of Africa after which they examine the life of the Ashanti of Ghana, the oral tradition in African literature, and Ghanian oral narratives, short stories, poetry, and drama. Activities include notetaking, discussion, research, oral play reading, map work, written reports, and filmstrip viewing. Each lesson outlines objectives, procedures, materials needed, activities, and suggestions for evaluation. A bibliography of required readings is also included. (KC)

This document accompanies a video training series entitled "A Better Way" for those serving special needs and nontraditional students. The guidebook provides information to enable educators, parents, and human service personnel to help secondary and postsecondary students access vocational education and make the transition from school to employment and further training. Together, these materials increase understanding of how to provide disadvantaged and handicapped students (as defined by the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act) with the guidance and special service assurances required by the Act. Topics include questions regarding provision of special services to disadvantaged and handicapped students; the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act; a historical perspective; identification of special needs students; vocational education for disadvantaged students and students with handicaps; role and responsibilities of counselors, school psychologists, placement personnel, vocational special needs/resource personnel, teachers/instructors, administrators, and parents/guardians; information for adult and postsecondary students; the state's role and government contact people; agency coordination; and promotion of change. The materials on parents/guardians and students are in both English and Spanish. (YLB)

This monograph for teachers outlines reasons for working with parents. It presents a sampling of practical strategies that teachers can use to foster parent competence and responsibility in the education of their children. It also contains answers to some of teachers' questions about getting parents to visit the school and encouraging them to become involved in their children's education. An introduction in Chapter 1 is followed by a discussion of new roles and new facts about families and teachers in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 concerns what parents and teachers want. Chapter 4 discusses educational responsibility in the home. Chapter 5 describes what teachers can do to increase parent involvement. Chapter 6 provides tips concerning the parent-teacher conference. Chapter 7 deals with special experiences and needs of single parents that teachers may want to consider. Chapter 8 articulates four basic rules for parent involvement programs. Appendices provide discussions of parent involvement strategies, the MegaSkills home curriculum, ways to meet family needs, and characteristics of effective families. Over 40 references, as well as 7 filmstrips, are cited. (RH)

This guide discusses policies and programs that help families contribute to and support educational excellence. Chapter 1, on the significance of family involvement, covers increased student achievement; home learning activities; improved student behavior; family and teacher acceptance; benefits to parents, teachers, and the community; basic involvement models; and the process of translating research into action. Chapter 2 discusses what people want from schools in terms of public perspectives, parent concerns, schools and the needs of families, student and teacher perspectives, and similarities between parents and teachers. Chapter 3 offers recommendations for action concerning the family, teachers and schools, and the community. The effect of family demographics on schools is discussed in Chapter 4, which emphasizes family changes and their implications for educational policy, characteristics of parents and children, and current and predicted numbers of school children. Sample home learning activities are described in Chapter 5, which focuses on thinking and reasoning, the development of discipline, and teaching about alcohol and tobacco. Appendices provide an article on families as educators; a list of references and reports on family involvement; several papers on the parent involvement movement; opinions on the community gap in education reform; recommendations for policymakers; and a discussion of educational partnerships. Over 75 references are cited. (RH)

Describes a small-scale school/college partnership first from the teacher's lens and then from the teacher educator's lens. Discusses 13 critical issues that have emerged from two years of working together. (SR)

Identifies 20 ways to enable families to be involved in education, help teachers and schools build family involvement, mobilize community support for schools and families, and share information about effective methods. (SK)

This classroom assessment tool offers teachers a method to identify academic needs across the curriculum for migrant, language-different, and mobile students. The primary strategy of this assessment system is to identify the knowledge and skill levels of these students in core curriculum areas. The snapshot assessment is a low-stakes, informal assessment system that has been structured to help the teacher plan instruction around the learning needs of the individual student. The student is asked to perform a series of tasks that are keyed to content standards. The tasks have been developed to be as free of cultural bias as possible. Both English and Spanish are used; Spanish is the dominant second language of students in the United States. There are 11 tasks for language arts, 17 tasks in mathematics, and 14 tasks in science. The user's manual section of the document contains an overview, discussions of the design of the assessment, a discussion of how to use the assessment system, a description of developing and testing the system. The target standards, benchmarks, and tasks are included in sections on national standards, language arts assessment, mathematics assessment, and science assessment. A student proficiency checklist is included. Appendixes contain a guide to Spanish pronunciation and a teacher's guide to commonly used directions for students. (Contains 16 references.) (SLD)

Discusses the extent to which violence can be accurately predicted, suggesting interventions, control, and remediation. The educator's role in reducing violence includes dealing with the school, parents, media, and community. Educators need conflict resolution skills for defusing aggression and establishing better relations. (SM)

Explains the planning procedure for outdoor classrooms and introduces an integrated unit on monarch butterflies called the Monarch Watch program. Makes recommendations to solve financial problems of outdoor classrooms. (YDS)

History has a vital role to play in the math classroom. It prompts teachers and students to think and talk about mathematics in meaningful ways; enriches the curriculum; demythologizes mathematics; and promotes communicating, connecting, and valuing mathematics. (KHR)

Home-built adventure-education courses exhibit refreshing creativity but almost always fall short of their potential due to inadequate construction techniques and materials. A ropes course inspector for the adventure education industry discusses the most common mistakes made in home-built ropes courses and how to prevent or fix them. (TD)

Discusses campus parking assessment and planning to meet the increasing demands of colleges and universities while controlling costs and reducing student and staff discontent. Explores advice for expanding parking-lot space and maintaining security. Provides a chart that shows general parking requirements for various groups based on students enrolled. (GR)

The first learning activity is intended to heighten students' awareness of the need for recycling, reuse, and reduction of materials; the second explores the aerodynamics of automobiles. Both include context, concept, objectives, procedure, and materials needed. (SK)

This booklet contains a collection of more than 100 activities designed to promote school-home and school-community relations. Activities are organized into seven categories: (1) communicating word from home to school, (2) people to people, (3) educational events, (4) volunteers--hands on in the classroom, (5) utilizing community resources, (6) secondary school outreach, and (7) money makers. Each activity description includes the objective of the activity; the materials, personnel and budget needed; the time required; a suggested strategy for carrying out the activity; evaluation procedures; and follow-up ideas. (JMB)

This handbook was designed to help teachers promote parent-home involvement in children's learning by providing them with specific techniques and materials to use in working with parents. The handbook begins with a general article discussing why parent-home involvement is important in the educational process and goes on to present 10 tips for parents on how to cooperate with the school and 10 thoughts for teachers on the school child at home. Specific guidelines and send-home sheets are provided on such topics as encouraging self-reliance, children as individuals, work for children at home, health, discipline, television viewing, home games, family travel, preparing home study centers, homework, conferences, and working mothers. (JMB)

Emphasizing the importance of the family in education, this book presents a sampling of strategies for fostering a strong parent-teacher-community partnership. The first chapter discusses the need for parent and community involvement; lists strategies to help administrators, teachers, and parent and community leaders in working with one another; briefly describes the Home Educational Learning Program; and outlines a yearly plan for parent involvement. Chapter 2 discusses the importance of the family in a child's education and offers ideas and suggestions for parents. Included are goals for family involvement, a list of ten "success builders," and teaching tips and home learning systems for parents. Suggestions are aimed primarily at parents with children aged 2 to 10. Chapter 3 discusses research studies from 1964 to 1975 that investigated the role of the family in promoting children's learning, and provides summaries of major preschool and in-school programs which emphasize parent involvement. (SB)

This monograph presents some basic theoretical perspectives on play and its relationship to culture, and outlines some basic concepts that can be used to obtain information about cultural differences between children in a school setting. Emphasis is placed on the conceptual and methodological tools normally used in anthropological fieldwork and their potential utilization in an educational setting. Specific topics discussed include: (1) play and socialization; (2) types of play; (3) types of games; (4) game categories; (5) cultural patterns and games; (6) dominant values and games; and (7) real and ideal culture in games. Suggestions about how teachers may systematically observe and record children's games are presented. Included in these suggestions are discussions of observational problems, structural versus casual observation, and parent and child interviews. Ways in which the knowledge gained through these observations can be used in bilingual, cross cultural education, in research, in staff training, and in the general school setting and in reinforcing school-community ties are also discussed. (EB)

This manual is designed to aid school guidance counselors in creating and implementing a public relations (PR) program to educate those both inside and outside the school system about the purposes, operations, and unique characteristics of guidance and counseling. The manual contains six sections, plus a bibliography of public relations information. The first section defines public relations and explains why PR is important for school counselors, while the second section outlines steps to take in developing a public relations program. Sections 3 and 4 suggest methods for transmitting the public relations message through school media (bulletin boards, newsletters, handbooks) and mass media (newspapers, radio, and television), while section 5 gives examples of ideas that work in reaching students, parents, administrators, the community, and colleagues. The final section is a note on government relations--how to lobby legislative representatives. Throughout, the guide's emphasis is on precise practical methods for developing the counseling public relations program. (KC)

This guide, addressed to policymakers, describes specific programs to support the educational role of the family. Based on demonstrated research, it lays out low-cost methods to enhance the impact of schooling by involving the family. Following an executive summary, the volume presents six main sections, with recommendations for addressing the following questions: (1) Why is family involvement important?; (2) What do people want from schools?; (3) What new directions should government take?; (4) What can be done?; (5) How can policy be put into practice?; and (6) What family demographics affect schools? A final section lists additional resources, and an appendix presents sample home learning activities. (KH)

Educational public relations (PR) is a planned and systematic management function designed to help improve the programs and services of an educational organization. The standards and techniques discussed in this guide are based on the nearly 50 years of experience of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The guidebook offers advice on establishing an evaluation procedure and setting standards for organizing a comprehensive PR program. The NSPRA Program Evaluation instrument is provided and concerns the following: (1) policy statements and procedures; (2) staffing; (3) budget/resources; (4) relationship of PR professional to the governing body, the administration, and staff of the school district; and (5) function of the PR unit. When to conduct a communication audit, topics audits cover, and the five basic steps of an audit are explained along with some principles in writing objectives for a school PR program. A checklist approach to evaluation, designed to call attention to PR responsibilities of school employees and officials, targets board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, guidance counselors, and secretaries. Checklists are also provided with criteria for publications and radio/video programs. A list of tips and techniques on PR evaluation concludes the guide. The appendixes contain 28 references and NSPRA's standards for educational PR programs and professionals, code of ethics, profile, and resources. (MLF)

This manual outlines a horseback riding program, conducted by the Larimer (Colorado) County Extension Service, for persons with disabilities. The program offers such benefits as the opportunity to learn horsemanship; strengthen and relax muscles; improve balance, coordination, and posture; and increase joint mobility. Designed to provide a step-by-step guide to developing a riding program for the disabled, this manual describes how a successful program can be developed and facilitated. Chapters provide information on each of the 13 program development steps: instructor selection; volunteer need, help, and selection; rider/student recruitment; horse selection and training; special equipment needed; facilities needed; insurance coverage; release forms; program evaluation; program closure; promotion; funding; and resources. (CB)