According to 1987 National Institute of Drug Abuse statistics, more than 67 percent of teens drink, 25 percent drink weekly, and more teens die and are injured in drinking and driving accidents than any other manner. This article describes a Friday Night Live program featuring powerful testimonials and an intense multimedia program to promote safe…

Santa Cruz City Traveling School was created to help youngsters cope with life pressures and complexities and gain a more complete education. Each semester, 36 students in grades 7-12 tour a region of the U.S. or Canada in a school bus. They live in hostels and group camps while being taught full range of academics and personal growth skills. (MLH)

Describes California's Mentor Teacher Program, which provides stipends for experienced teachers who are appointed to work in a staff development capacity with new teachers, other career teachers, and "teacher trainees" without formal teacher training. Covers mentor qualifications and program implementation, documentation, and evaluation.…

As part of a long-term inquiry into the nature of staff development, 300 interviews focused on teachers' use of formal development opportunities, informal interactions with other professionals, and personally directed growth activities. The relationships between teachers' growth levels and the social systems of schools are discussed. (Author/MLF)

Although California schools are experiencing cutbacks, the cause may be declining enrollment rather than Proposition 13. A less debatable result of Proposition 13 is greater state control of education's purse strings. (Author/JM)

California's top educator talks about education and politics. (Author)

Shows how three award-winning female physical-education teachers are using technology to facilitate both learning and meaningful assessment, in keeping with seven content standards promulgated by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education. These teachers are using videotaping, high- and low-tech self-measurement devices, heart…

Providing rich supply of high-interest story books is more feasible policy for literacy education than urgent exhortations to improve teacher quality. Free reading profoundly improves students' reading and writing ability, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. The quality of a country s or state's school libraries significantly predicts its reading…

Controversy rages over whole-language/phonics approaches to reading instruction, giving critics great school-bashing opportunities. Districts that have successfully incorporated whole language generally have planned for change, involved parents, proceeded slowly, built in ongoing professional development, provided adequate resources, reassured…

Evidence from Arizona and other states demonstrates that children with disabilities lack equal access to charter schools. Charter school operators are avoiding potentially high-cost students and are unprepared to meet their needs. Charter schools need to strike cooperative resource-sharing arrangements with neighboring districts. States must…

Describes how a California charter middle school fosters student personal and social responsibility. (PKP)

Class-size reduction is the subject of much debate in the education community. Findings from research studies on three top class-size reduction programs can help states and schools decide whether reducing class size will work for them. Provided are background information, research findings, and a prognosis for the future for Indiana's Project…

The Los Angles County Office of Education developed the Educational Communications Network (ETN) to help implement English curriculum reform mandated by the California State Board of Education in 1987. ETN has become an electronic staff development distribution system using satellite-transmitted live and interactive inservice programing. (MLH)

Discusses California's efforts to improve curriculum and assessment, including the new state frameworks in each subject area. California rejected existing math and science textbooks for being redundant and overemphasizing skills at the expense of meaningful application. New educational objectives are to prepare students for work, citizenship, and…

The staff at Emerson School in Rosemead, California, believe the keys to parent involvement are appropriate recognition and constant communication concerning students' positive achievements, through phone calls and letters of praise in several different languages. (MLH)