A program taught three students (ages 10-18) social interaction skills to enhance their abilities to interact with three students with deaf-blindness and had them teach the same skills to friends (secondary peers). As a result of the peer instruction, the secondary peers spent more time with students with deaf-blindness. (CR)

This study investigated the effects of using general education peers to instruct four students (age 8) with mental retardation in board game skills. Results found that the peer-mediated intervention produced an increase in interactions between students with and without mental retardation and that these increases generalized across social…

Discusses changes in the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) and Title I designed to help disadvantaged students meet the higher academic standards of school reform. Changes include emphasizing high-quality teaching and professional development, shifting decision making to the school level, creating a link between Title I and other IASA…

Argues that policy development framework for school reform under the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 must occur in state and local settings and possess advocates for at-risk students who can enter the community dialog concerning education. Policies should focus on the classroom with administrators and teachers continually striving for…

Introduces three perspectives on the Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas) reform effort. The case studies indicate that successful restructuring of schools serving highly disadvantaged communities is possible. (GR)

Describes the Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas) reform efforts that targeted inner-city, low-income student academic improvement. The forceful use of national and local resources to implement teacher-initiated changes and to further a successful site-based school restructuring is presented. (GR)

Describes positive results coming from Trinity University's active support of educational reform efforts at Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas). Trinity's teacher education agenda focused on preparing teachers for the real world of the elementary school and pursuing a teacher-selected school reform project. (GR)

Provides an evaluator's view of the quantitative effects of the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-based K-6 curriculum model, and other reforms at Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas). Pretest and posttest results show increased academic performance in reading, writing, and mathematics, based on Texas Assessment of Academic Skills…

Describes the various components of the Success for All Program (SFAP) and provides a detailed review of its effectiveness in improving the academic accomplishments of students placed at risk, including English-language learners and special education students. It also compares SFAP with Reading Recovery programs. Results of evaluations of 23 SFAP…

Examined interventions and strategies used by Chapter 1 Program Improvement (PI) schools to improve academic program and Chapter 1 services. Site visits to 15 California elementary and middle schools show that schools engaged in change have common elements: strong leadership, quality core curriculum, school autonomy, district support, and parent…

Provides detailed examples of the components of Title I as recently revised and suggests alternative ways that the program's new flexibility can be used to enhance school reform. Revised Title I audit procedures are also designed to promote improved program performance and increased understanding of the law. (SLD)

What advocates have done in support of the policies fostered under Title I through its 30-year history must be reconsidered in order to influence policymakers. As advocates, educators must collaborate with their partners in the health and social service communities in pursuit of coherence and congruence of programs. (SLD)

Describes the Fantastic Follow Through Project at the Fairfield Court Elementary School in Richmond (Virginia), a partnership serving children through grade three and their families by linking home, community, and school. Program evaluation findings support the usefulness of the approach. Recommendations are made for program improvement. (SLD)

Describes and evaluates the Parents as Educational Partners Program at a rural elementary school in West Virginia. Team action research efforts demonstrated positive program effects on students, parents, and the community, and identified issues in the program development and educational reform processes. The beneficial effects of parent…

Focuses on how the Action Teams in two elementary schools and one middle school in Baltimore (Maryland) used the Framework of Six Types of involvement developed by J. L. Epstein to develop effective school-family-community connections. Nine key insights derived from the study are presented. (SLD)