Since 1993, groups of Connecticut high school students have had the opportunity to explore Russia firsthand, thanks to a program called "Linking Schools Through Language and Technology." Although Russia is an unstable society, schools visited by New Haven youngsters were cozy, child-centered beacons of continuity and tradition. Schools had a…

The idealized nuclear family values of romantic love, maternalism, and domesticity are being supplanted by postmodernist sentiments such as consensual love, shared parenting, and urbanity. Today's "competent" kids are developing more stress-related problems. Schools can help families by placing students' and teachers' needs above political and…

Describes a California elementary school serving Hispanic students that successfully involved parents, businesses, and community members in improving school safety, refurbishing the neighborhood, and purging the area of criminal activity. Police and Korean-American merchants have contributed to multicultural celebrations, and PTA participation is…

A suburban Cook County (Illinois) school district has tapped an invaluable community resource--senior citizens--for two generations' mutual enrichment. Senior Exchange gives residents over 54 a chance to help schools while earning money to pay the portion of their property tax bill supporting schools. Other intergenerational exchanges include…

Full-service schools aim to provide both quality education and support services (health, welfare, recreation, and life-enhancing programs). Two middle-school programs in New York City and Modesto, California, are profiled. Despite barriers to success (governance and turf issues, lack of continuity, public controversy, and funding), full-service…

A year-round magnet elementary school in Salem, Massachusetts, has increased its family involvement by borrowing elements from many models. The school has mixed-age groupings, integrated social services, and community outreach strategies such as a parent center, business-sponsored Friday clubs, and celebrations of learning. (MLH)

Recognizing that religion can positively transform people's lives and that churches and synagogues have altruistic members with diverse abilities, the Escambia County (Florida) School District created church care teams to work with special-needs families and their schools over an extended time. Positive changes in target families are already…

Poised to help legally homeless parents become their children's best teachers, instructors in a Nevada literacy program found that human relationships took precedence over academics. Instructors learned the importance of renaming the program (to avoid association with prior academic failure) and blending literacy activities with hot meals, family…

In neighborhoods of wide socioeconomic and cultural variation, liaisons who speak at least two languages are a vital link between school and community. Over several years, Fairfax County, Virginia, program has grown from one part-time position to three positions to meet the needs of the sizable Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking communities. (MLH)

From its base at National-Louis University, the Best Practice Project aims to develop teacher and parent leadership in a network of 12 elementary and secondary schools in Chicago. Focused on instruction only, the project is trying to generate genuine teacher-parent partnerships that support learning in student-centered, constructivist classrooms.…

Although those charged with developing learning standards for Maine students have tried to be inclusive, there are some likely challenges ahead. Planners need to include the views of less educated, less successful, or very conservative persons; reach consensus on defining the basics; resolve equity versus excellence issues; and incorporate…

Vermont's town meeting tradition is flourishing and will help determine the future of curriculum development for the state's half-million residents. The Vermont Common Core, a compact with rigorous expectations for educational planners, faces two challenges: remaining open to new ideas and reigniting grass-roots involvement. (MLH)

When introducing a new middle-school mathematics curriculum, an Iowa school district anticipated parents' misgivings, addressed them early, and made parents into allies. Planners addressed parental concerns by exuding confidence and honesty, treating parents as equal partners, defining accountability, communicating effectively, carefully selecting…

When embarking on school/community-based management, nine Hawaii elementary schools trained their staff in facilitative leadership and received technical assistance from district offices. Schools can involve more parents by reaching a shared understanding about parental involvement, developing appropriate involvement strategies, providing parents…

Interviews with 15 parents of mainstreamed children shed light on building effective school-home partnerships. Teachers should convey a clear, consistent message concerning the child's value, put themselves in parents' shoes, expand their awareness of cultural diversity, challenge stereotypes, persevere in building partnerships, use everyday…