Research Corner, by Walt
Mallory, Ed.D
From
the Sept. 2005 issue of Community Education
Today:
Research
Corner, by Walt Mallory, Ed.D.
NCEA Director of Research
Notes from the Field
Last
spring, I told you about a research project that
NCEA had started.
Funded by the Mott Foundation, the
project is focused on strategies that school
systems have used to integrate 21st
Century Community Learning Center programs into
their Community Education programs.
Additionally, we are looking at how
school divisions have used 21st
Century Community Learning Center programs as a
launching pad for other Community Education
programs.
Dr.
Susan Powell, a recently retired educator with a
strong research background, recently joined the
project as a research associate.
Dr. Powell’s research interests include
qualitative research and building strong
relationships between schools and high-risk
communities.
With the aid of an advisory committee of
community education and research professionals,
we have identified six school systems to
investigate further.
The programs range from small rural
programs to large urban and suburban programs.
All the site visits have been scheduled,
and two have been completed.
Dr. Powell and I have been very impressed
with the creativity and commitment to
communities and children. We
have seen remarkable examples of strong
leadership, community involvement, and
significant collaboration within and across
bureaucratic boundaries.
A
large amount of data has already been gathered,
and we are trying to analyze it between site
visits. We
will finish the site visits by November 11, and
we will have preliminary findings for St. Louis
in December.
We anticipate producing either a
monograph or a book as the final product of the
project, and, from what we have seen, it should
be useful to a wide range of community
educators.
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Good
Health
Educators know that students who are not in good
health cannot devote their full attention to
learning. Academic achievement depends on
schools helping students overcome their
physical, social, and emotional barriers to
learning and fostering a school environment in
which students can learn more effectively.
Districts are encouraged to work in
collaboration with students, parents, and
community agencies to examine their needs and
empower students to create healthier communities
and lifestyles.
This opinion-brief highlights the work of 10
groups of students who participated in making
their schools and communities healthier places,
and argues that such programs are vital to
preparing students for their future lives as
healthy adults.
http://www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm?TheViewID=1684
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Grants
Awarded to Six School Districts
(FRANKFORT,
Ky.) -- Six school districts will share more than $600,000 in grant funds
to help reduce the number of student suspensions and expulsions, the
Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Center for School Safety
announced today.
The
six are:
- Bowling
Green Independent -- $89,155
- Fayette
County -- $195,219
- Harlan
Independent -- $68,476
- Henderson
County -- $119,709
- Middlesboro
Independent -- $100,232
- Owsley
County -- $33,305
Grant
funds were made available through the U.S. Department of Education's Safe
and Drug Free Schools program. Beginning with the 2003-04 school year, the
six grantees will use the funds to promote community service work programs
for students who have committed offenses that would result in
out-of-school suspension or expulsions. Community service work is a
supervised, structured work experience for youth that meets the needs of
the community and fosters responsibility for personal actions. The
districts' projects will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of
the interventions and their possible applications for other school
districts.
In
the 2001-02 school year, 74,054 out-of-school suspensions were recorded in
Kentucky schools, an increase of eight percent over the previous year.
Jon Akers, executive
director of the Kentucky Center for School Safety, said that, while
students need to be held accountable for their actions, suspensions can
place the community at risk, as students are often unsupervised while out
of school.
“Principals are always looking for alternatives to out of school
suspensions,” said Akers. “Students must be held accountable both
academically and behaviorally. Projects like the Community Service Work
Project can assist school administrators in maintaining these standards
and expectations.”
Students who would have been suspended or expelled for violating a
school’s disciplinary code or committing law violations may be eligible
for participation in the program. Each school district will screen
students prior to placement in the program. Students will be required to
work at a community site under close supervision, continue their academic
work and receive counseling to address their behavioral problems. Examples
of work sites may include animal shelters, beautification projects at
local schools and parks and recreational facilities.
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