A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

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SELECTED RESOURCES

"America Goes Back to School is designed to foster grassroots support for schools by inviting individuals, parents, grandparents, community leaders, professionals, people skilled in vocational trades, artists, religious leaders, and all Americans to rally around their local schools and create a win/win situation for families, schools and communities across the nation."
H. Brent Coles
Mayor, Boise ID


Last year's Partners' Activity Guide,"America Goes Back to School: A Place for Families and the Community," includes many innovative ideas in addition to those presented here. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for free copies.


Help Make Schools Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free

Help Support Parent and Family Involvement

Selected Resources To Help America Become a Reading, Literate Society

Selected Resources To Reach New Levels of Excellence with High Standards and Real Accountability

Selected Resources To Make Technology Available So All Children Will Succeed in the 21st Century

Selected Resources To Prepare Young People for Careers

Selected Resources To Make College More Accessible




  1. Help Make Schools Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free: You can seek help from local sources such as your local PTA, school board, community agencies, and police department. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act provides funding through the U.S. Department of Education to help schools build local partnerships to reduce violence and drug use, install metal detectors and hire security guards, and train teachers to prevent problems. The Act offers school districts the flexibility to design their own comprehensive school safety programs and coordinate them with community agencies. For information, call 202-260-3954. The following organizations also provide assistance and information:

    Partnership for a Drug Free America
    405 Lexington Ave.
    New York, NY 10174
    212-922-1560
    1-800-624-0100

    National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information
    P.O. Box 2345
    Rockville, MD 20852
    1-800-SAY-NO-TO

    Office of National Drug Control Policy
    Executive Office of the President
    Washington, DC 20500
    202-467-9800


    The following are available free of charge from the U.S. Department of Education by calling 1-800-624-0100:

    • "Creating Safe Schools: A Resource Collection for Planning and Action"

    • "Manual on School Uniforms"

    • "Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention"

    • "READY SET GO"

    • "School Administrators' Violence Prevention Resource Anthology"

    • "Success Stories '94: A Guide to Safe, Disciplined, & Drug-Free Schools"

    • "Art of Prevention: A Drug Prevention Resource for All Teachers"

    • "Murals Reflecting Prevention"


    "To increase the commitment to and involvement in our children's learning experiences makes a significant difference in the prosperity and future of our city as well as other communities across the country."
    Anthony Masiello
    Mayor, Buffalo, NY


    Child's Abstract Creature Drawing
    "Wild Thing"
    Kevin Perine, Jr., Akron, OH

  2. Help Support Parent and Family Involvement: You can go to your local school, PTA, community group, or house of worship for more help. In addition, 28 Parental Information and Resource Centers have been funded through the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. For more information on these parent centers, call 202-401-0039. Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act, which provides resources to schools needing extra help to strengthen programs in the basics and core academics, encourages the creation of school-parent compacts in half of the nation's schools. For more information on school-parent compacts, call 202-260-0965. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funds 70 Parent Training and Information Projects across the 50 states to help parents of children with disabilities. To get a copy of "A Directory of Parent Training and Information Projects" and for more information call the National Information Center for Children & Youth with Disabilities at 1-800-695-0285. The U.S. Department of Education supplies two-thirds of all student financial aid for college (loans and grants). Call 1-800-4-FED-AID for more information on student aid. The following national organizations can also provide you with more information.

    Partnership for Family Involvement in Education
    600 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, DC 20202-8173
    1-800-USA-LEARN

    The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education
    Institute for Educational Leadership
    1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 310
    Washington, DC 20036
    202-822-8405


    For additional information and a free catalog of parent and family involvement resources for parents and educators, contact:

    The National PTA
    135 South La Salle
    Department 1860
    Chicago, IL 60674-1860
    312-549-3253
    312-477-5818 fax

    Parents as Teachers
    9374 Olive Boulevard
    St. Louis, MO 63132
    314-432-4330

    HIPPY USA
    Teachers College
    Box 113
    525 West 10th St.
    New York, NY 10027
    212-678-3500


    To order: "Catch the Spirit: A Student's Guide to Community Service" write to:
    The Consumer Information Center
    Department 593C
    Pueblo, CO 81009


    The following publications can be ordered free of charge from the U.S. Department of Education by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

    • "Strong Families, Strong Schools: Building Community Partnerships for Learning"

    • "America Goes Back to School Partners' Activity Guide"

    • "Reaching All Families and Creating Family Friendly Schools"

    • "Employers, Families and Education: Promoting Family Involvement in Learning"

    • "Get Involved! How Parents and Families Can Help Their Children Do Better In School"

    • "Team up for Kids! How Schools Can Support Family Involvement in Education"

    • "Be Family-Friendly: It's Good Business!"

    • "Join Together for Kids! How Communities Can Support Family Involvement in Education"

    • "Summer Home Learning Recipes"

    • Helping Your Child Learn Series (Reading, Math and others)


    Child's Drawing of Woman Rocking a Baby
    "If I Could Give the World a Gift"
    Adrienne Shoen, Georgetown, KY


  3. Selected Resources To Help America Become a Reading, Literate Society: Tutors and reading partners can be obtained by asking your local school, PTA, library, community group, or house of worship for help. Many Girl Scout cadette troops, Boys and Girls Clubs, AmeriCorps volunteers, retired teachers, librarians, and college sororities and fraternities have tutor volunteers. READ*WRITE*NOW! kits, developed by reading and writing specialists to help children increase their reading and writing skills, can be obtained through local libraries, the U.S. Department of Education's toll-free number 1-800-USA-LEARN, the U.S. Department of Education's homepage on the World Wide Web, and through the ERIC documentation system at your local library. Schools can use funds from the U.S. Department of Education's Title I-basic skills program to extend learning time after school and in the summer for children, and to redesign the reading and basic skills programs to be more effective in order to reach for higher standards.

    Organizations that can immediately get you started to help children read and work for a more literate America include:

    American Library Association
    50 East Huron Street
    Chicago, IL 60611
    312-944-6780

    Learning Disabilities Association of America
    4156 Library Road
    Pittsburgh, PA 15234
    412-341-1515

    National Center for Family Literacy
    Waterfront Plaza, Suite 200
    325 W. Main Street
    Louisville, KY 40202-4251
    502-584-1133

    AmeriCorps
    1201 New York Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20525

    Reading Is Fundamental
    600 Maryland Avenue, SW
    Washington, DC 20024

    National Institute for Literacy
    800 Connecticut Ave., Suite 200
    Washington, DC 20006
    202-632-1500

    Pizza Hut's Book It! Program
    9111 East Douglas
    Wichita, KS 67201

    Books and Beyond
    309 North Rios
    Solano Beach, CA 92075
    619-755-3823

    International Reading Association
    800 Barksdale Road, P.O. Box 8139
    Newark, DE 19714-8139
    302-731-1600 ext. 220

    Extra help in the basics -- Title I
    Contact your State Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Education at 202-260-0826

    Extra help for students with disabilities - Special Education
    Contact your State Department of Education or the Office of Special Education at the U.S. Department of Education at 202-205-5507


    The following publications are available from the National Library of Education, U.S. Department of Education, by calling 1-800-424-1616:

    • "State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning to Read"

    • "Helping Your Child Learn to Read"

    • "Helping Your Child Learn to Use the Library"


    Child's Drawing of Kid Reading a Book
    "Dare to Discover the Glow of a Book"
    Chris Mills, Montgomery, AL


  4. Selected Resources To Reach New Levels of Excellence with High Standards and Real Accountability: Contact your local school district or state department of education to find out what's going on in your community and state to develop and set higher educational and occupational standards. The Goals 2000: Educate America Act provides funding to help schools raise standards and improve their accountability. It encourages communities to create their own locally developed school improvement plans. For information, call your state education department or call 202-401-0039.

    The following are other sources of information on standards:

    Council of Chief State School Officers
    One Massachusetts Avenue, NW/Suite 700
    Washington, DC 20001-1431
    202-408-5505

    Council for Basic Education
    1319 F Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20004
    202-347-4171

    National Alliance of Business
    1201 New York Avenue, NW
    Suite 700
    Washington, DC 20005
    202-289-2800

    The Business Roundtable
    1615 L Street, NW
    Suite 1100
    Washington, DC 20036
    (202) 872-1260


    The following publications can be ordered free of charge from the U.S. Department of Education by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN:

    • "An Invitation to Your Community: Building Community Partnerships for Learning"

    • "Moving America to the Head of the Class"

    • "Teachers and GOALS 2000: Leading the Journey Toward High Standards for All Students"

    • "State Content Standards Directory of state projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education"

    • "Eloquent Evidence: Arts at the Core of Learning"


    Child's Photo of Kid Holding Xmas Lights
    "Just Open Your Eyes and See . . . The Light"
    Leandra Hicks, Evansville, IN


  5. Selected Resources To Make Technology Available So All Children Will Succeed in the 21st Century: Check with the technology coordinator in your local school district or state education agency, your local library, and local Computer Users Groups for further help. Check your local telephone directory for the number of the Computer Users Groups. At the U.S. Department of Education, Challenge Grants for Technology in Education provide funding to school consortia to support the development and innovative use of technology to enhance learning. Challenge grants help communities turn their schools into information age learning centers. President Clinton recently proposed a $2 billion initiative to build and support state and local partnerships promoting technological literacy for all students. For information, call 202-708-6001.

    In addition, there are national organizations such as:

    Educational Resources Information Clearinghouses (ERIC)
    ACCESS ERIC
    1600 Research Blvd.
    Rockville, MD 20850-3172
    1-800-LET-ERIC
    AskERIC (askeric@ericir.syr.edu)

    KickStart Initiative: Connecting America's Communities to the Information Highway National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council
    NTIA Openness Center
    Department of Commerce, Room 1609
    Washington, DC 20230
    202-482-3999
    http://www.benton.org/Library/KickStart/

    Telephone Pioneers of America
    P.O. Box 13888
    Denver, CO 80201-3888
    1-800-872-5995

    The National Parent Information Network
    ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
    University of Illinois
    805 W. Pennsylvania Ave.
    Urbana, IL 61801-4897
    1-800-583-4135 or 217-333-1386

    National Tech Corps
    P.O. Box 65332
    Washington, DC 20035
    508-620-7749
    http://www.ustc.org

    NetDay96
    2601 Mariposa St.
    San Francisco, CA 94110-1400
    415-553-2311 netday@kqed.org
    http://www.netday96.com/


    If you have access to any online service or to the Internet, you can reach our World Wide Web site at http://www.ed.gov; our gopher server is at gopher.ed.gov (or select North America -> USA -> General -> U.S. Department of Education from the All/Other Gophers menu on your system.) FTP users can ftp to ftp.ed.gov and log on as anonymous. You may also contact your Regional Technology Consortium:

    Northwest Regional Technology Consortium
    505-275-9624

    North Central Regional Technology Consortium
    708-218-1272

    NetTech-Northeast Regional Technology Consortium
    212-541-0972

    South Central Regional Technology Consortium
    913-864-4954

    Southeast & Islands Regional Technology Consortium
    910-334-3211

    Southwest & Pacific Regional Technology Consortium
    310-985-1570

    Child's Photos of Shy Girl with Dark Hair
    "eye opener"
    Colin Nagel, Hope, RI


  6. Selected Resources To Prepare Young People for Careers: Funds are available from the U.S. Department of Education to underwrite the initial costs of planning and establishing school-to-career systems at the state and local level. For more information on funding and development assistance, contact your state department of education or the School-to-Work Opportunities Learning & Information Center at 1-800-251-7236.

    The National School-to-Work Learning & Information Center provides information, assistance and training to build school-to-work opportunities throughout the country. The Center uses the latest information technology to help increase the capacity of professionals and to develop and implement School-to-Work systems across the nation. Its services are available to state and local school-to-work offices, employers, schools, labor, parents, students, and the general public.

    The Center, jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor, offers access through six distinct services:

    • The 800-number "Answer Line" (1-800-251-7236)

    • Internet Home Page/Information Network (http://www.stw.ed.gov)

    • Relevant publications

    • A resource bank of selected technical assistance providers

    • Databases on key School-to-Work contacts, organizations, and practices

    • Meetings, conferences, and training sessions

    Service learning opportunities can also be important to help prepare youth for a career. For information about the AmeriCorps program and service learning, call 1-800-ACORPS.


    Child's Drawing of Hide-and-Seek Girls
    "Just Open Your Eyes and See, We Can All Live in Unity"
    Eddie Smith III, Montgomery, AL


  7. Selected Resources To Make College More Accessible: Preparing your child for college includes both academic and financial preparation. You can seek information from your local school guidance counselor, local community college or university, and some community and service organizations. You can also obtain financial aid information from the U.S. Department of Education. The Department supplies 70 percent of the financial aid to college students in the United States. For the facts about financial aid, including the Direct Loan Program, call 1-800-4-FED-AID. Here are some other resources that you can use to find out more about planning for careers and college:

    The ACT and the National Career Development Association have developed a career exploration and guidance kit called, "Realizing the Dream." Ask your child's guidance counselor if Realizing the Dream is being used in your child's school or district. To find out more about the kit, you can call 319-337-1379 or write to the following address:

    Heidi Hallberg, Program Coordinator--ACT
    2201 North Dodge St.
    P.O. Box 168
    Iowa City, IA 52243-0168


    The U.S. Department of Education offers a free PC-based software package that helps young people choose a college and learn about student financial aid. The package is called, the "AWARE Early Awareness Software." You can obtain a copy by calling 1-800-4FED-AID, or by writing to the following address:

    Federal Student Aid Information Center
    P.O. Box 84
    Washington, DC 20044


    • "The College Guide for Parents," Third Edition, Charles Shields. The College Board, 1994.

    • "The Multicultural Student's Guide to the Colleges," Robert Mitchell. Noonday Press, 1996.


    For a free copy of the following publications, call the U.S. Department of Education at 1-800-USA-LEARN:

    • "Preparing Your Child for College: A Resource Book for Parents"

    • "America Goes Back to School: How Colleges Can Get Involved!"


    For a free copy of the following publication, call the U.S. Department of Education at 1-800-4-FED-AID:

    • "The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of Education"



Better Education Is Everybody's Business

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