Parent involvement as one of the eight National Education Goals has brought heightened awareness to the importance of connecting educational institutions and their communities. This book addresses major frameworks for understanding family involvement and government support of family involvement projects. The work also presents a theoretical base for understanding school, family, and community partnerships and research supporting promising practices. The chapters are as follows: (1) "School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Linking Theory to Practice" (Beth S. Simon and Joyce L. Epstein); (2) "Family Involvement in Federal Education Programs" (Oliver C. Moles, Jr.); (3) "Home-School Communication" (Diana B. Hiatt-Michael); (4) "Parent-Child Literacy Projects" (Francesca K. Pomerantz); (5) "Family Centers in Schools: Expanding Possibilities for Partnership" (Vivian R. Johnson); (6) "Family Participation in Decision Making and Advocacy" (Don Davies); (7) "Parent Education as an Essential Component of Parent Involvement Programs" (Mary P. DiCamillo); and (8) "Educating Professionals for School, Family and Community Partnerships" (Howard Kirschenbaum). (Each chapter contains references.) (HTH)