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The article looks at the role of school librarians as partners of teachers in the development of policies and programs that would guide and promote student learning. It highlights the History as Story research project at Annunciation Orthodox School (AOS) in Houston, Texas, that was made successful through the participation of librarians as instructional partners. The author also comments that this type of cross-curricular collaboration is important to encourage student achievement and success.

The article discusses the effect of poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity on U.S. children, and argues that schools are positioned to address the problem. It notes that children in poor communities are especially vulnerable due to limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables and lack of safe places to be outdoors. This leads to overweight which can trigger or exacerbate chronic medical conditions such as asthma, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure as well as increasing school absences. Positive efforts are cited including the Walking and Pedometer Club at Burton Elementary and Middle School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools initiative in Houston, Texas, which involves all stakeholders in the community on a variety of projects.

Effective school/community partnerships already exist in many locales, where volunteers are making important contributions to the education of the young. In Houston, Texas, 66 businesses established or continued partnerships with 63 public schools during the 1982-83 school year. More than 600 businesspeople were involved in these programs, contributing their know-how and their time, the later alone valued at more than $500,000. In Pennsylvania, the multi-faceted Generations Together Program allows students and senior citizens to share their enthusiasms and skills with one another.

The article reports that Texas Southmost College (TSC) and the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) have agreed to end a twenty year partnership due to concerns regarding governance and finances. It overviews the process which allows students at the two-year TSC to transfer to the four-year UTB, explores the breakup's possible impact on low-income students in the area, and provides comments from TSC trustees David Oliveira and Trey Mendez.

The article discusses an experimental education program created through a partnership between the Dallas Chamber Symphony and Texas' Mesquite Independent School District which teaches students about classical music through assemblies, class trips, and video conferences. Particular attention is given to the presentation of lessons via iPad tablet computers provided to students by the district. Comments from Oliver Schlaffer, a cellist with the symphony, are included.

The article discusses cooperation between scholars and schools for conducting research on education in the U.S., such as the partnership between Vanderbilt University and the Fort Worth, Texas school district to study the district's middle school mathematics education. Data analysis of teacher development, student achievement, and school demographics are discussed, and information on several U.S. urban education research partnerships is presented. INSET: Alliances between researchers and education….

The article features Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, in Pharr, Texas, one of the winners in the over 20,000 enrollment category in the 2011 Magna Awards from the "American School Board Journal." It says that the College, Career & Technology Academy program in partnership with South Texas College has reduced the dropout rate. It adds that the project allows students to take college coursework while completing their high school requirements and increased graduation rate by 90%.

The article reports on the integration of innovative technology in support of teaching, learning and administration by the Lone Star College System (LSCS) in Houston, Texas. To ensure student success, the community college is providing the most effective and efficient teaching, learning and administrative technology services through adding value, promoting innovation, expanding access, fostering partnerships and implementing continuous improvement.

The article reports on the consolidation between Texas PTA and Texas Association of School Librarians and TLA to help local chapters of the Texas PTA celebrate its 100th anniversary. The author stated that to help promote family literacy, the Texas PTA has created the SMART program. In addition, the "Read 100 Challenge" is one key component of the SMART program, in which students and families can choose to read 100 stories, 100 pages and 100 books.

The article features the Community Builders Program of the Houston Independent School District in Texas. The program's objective is to enable the school board to have better access to its multiple constituencies. The district encompasses 200,000 plus students coming from diverse groups. The program consists of monthly meetings between the board and its constituents. Guests at the meeting have included the Harris county legislative delegation, the Greater Houston Partnership, fine arts organizations, deans of local colleges, faith-based groups and others.