In this article, the author shares how she turned once-dreaded parent-teacher conferences into valuable assessments, evaluations, and action plans using the fourth-generation evaluation method. Fourth-generation evaluation has three main components. First, it includes a multitude of assessment tools. Second, it involves stakeholders in the…

This column examines how to reconcile differences in parents' and teachers' ideas of learning and prevent the negative effects on children when teachers and parents do not agree, recommending that good conversation and communication are the best ways to prevent such conflicts from happening in the first place. (SM)

This book aims to develop an understanding of basic physics concepts among school teachers in grades 3-8. The concepts covered in this book include force, motion, gravity, and circular motion without intimidating detailed units and formulas. Chapters include: (1) "Newton's First One"; (2) "In Which We Describe Motion and Then Change…

What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators, teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, and school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences? "Ready, Set, Science!" guides the way with an…

The purpose of this document is to provide information and recommendations for involving elementary students in civic participation. This document suggests activities and resources teachers can use in the classroom to involve their students in civic duties. There is also a section on tips for parents to help develop effective citizens. A list of…

During the 2001-02 school year, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) officials contracted with the Grow Network[TM] to provide supplemental reporting of student test results to parents, teachers, and school administrators. Under terms of its contract with CPS, the Grow Network provides a variety of resources, including individualized, printed score…

Struggling learners and their parents often are exasperated by homework. They find it difficult, frustrating, and laborious, producing resistance, slipshod work, stress at home, and conflicts between struggling learners, parents, and school personnel. The author (1) identifies several causes of struggling learners' homework difficulties, (2)…

Outlines National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) criteria for accreditation of teacher education programs and suggests that parents find out about their school's teachers, ask principals and school boards to hire teachers from NCATE-accredited schools, and insist on teachers being trained in standards of their subject area…

This book offers an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges and contributions of urban primary schools. The authors set urban education in the wider social context of structural disadvantage, poverty, oppression and exclusion, and reassert some critical urban educational concerns. Recognizing that practice needs to be informed by theory,…

Teachers and parents, working together, can help students reach their potential. They must set realistic, achievable goals and realize that no one makes progress all the time. The paper discusses what to do when a child underachieves and how teachers can prepare parents to deal with a student's poor grades. (SM)

Aided by a 21-member Elementary Education Study Group, the Secretary of Education has prepared the first comprehensive report on elementary education in the United States in more than three decades. The report finds America's elementary schools in pretty good shape, and states that they do their job especially well in the early grades, only…

An average of 33.5 percent of school district expenditures is spent on classroom teachers' compensation in Wisconsin elementary schools. The range varies from a low of 21.4 percent to a high of 45.9 percent. Financial data were analyzed from the survey responses of 110 of Wisconsin's 431 districts. The reasons for the average proportion spent on…

Showcases international juvenile titles that present international perspectives for educators, librarians, and parents seeking materials with alternative cultural content and context. The 21 books listed are renditions of folktales and traditional stories. A directory of publishers and distributors is included. (SLD)

This paper discusses how teachers and English-speaking parents can address the needs of second-language families. Teachers can establish a dialog through home visits or school meetings. Parents can invite the families to attend school meetings, provide interpreters, and form committees for foreign-born parents. (SM)

The primary health educators of children are their parents; secondary health educators of children are their teachers. This book provides a resource for parents and teachers interested in child and school health and offers guidance to promote the health of children between the ages of 5 and 12. An introductory chapter describes such terms as…