Fifteen guidelines are proposed for families and school personnel placing a child who is medically fragile or technology dependent into the school environment. Guidelines address differing priorities of parents and teachers, the role of health care professionals, the transition from home or hospital to the classroom, communication between school…

For young children with and without disabilities, positive outcomes depend on smooth, effective transitions between and within early intervention programs, preschool programs, and public school programs. Now there is a how-to guide that helps professionals across programs work together to make these transitions happen. Coauthored by top expert…

Created for teachers, parents, storytellers, and anyone who works or plays with young people, this collection of 29 stories for children (and adult children) grew from the belief that the chance for survival of humanity in these difficult times may be improved by having stories grow in the hearts of the world's children. The stories in the…

An annotated time line to help learning disabled high school students and their families plan for and choose an appropriate college was developed. A review of the literature concerning the transition of learning disabled students from high school to college is presented as are results of interviews with college learning disability specialists,…

This handbook was originally intended for parents whose children attend programs which use "The Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood" (CCEC), but the informaton is also useful to parents whose children attend early childhood programs using other curriculum models based on child development theories. The purpose of the handbook is to…

This manual makes a case for cooperative (as opposed to competitive) play among disabled and nondisabled children. Part 1, which concerns the philosophy involved, discusses the rationale for cooperative games, the importance of play, cooperative games as an alternative, components of cooperative games, structure of cooperative games, and…

Parents must work actively with teachers to encourage the social integration of disabled children in mainstream classrooms. The ability to initiate and maintain positive peer relationships is necessary for healthy cognitive and social growth in all children, and it helps the disabled helps to overcome destructive cycles of rejection and isolation.…

Asserting that the biggest mistake educators can make is to set themselves up as experts vis-a-vis parents as amateurs, Barbara and William Christopher emphasize the importance of continued education for the autistic individual and relate their experiences with the educational community as they sought help for their autistic son. (JC)

This issue of the quarterly newsletter, "PLAINTalk," is the third in a four part series, reprinting chapters from Sharon and Craig Ramey's book, "Going to School." This issue presents practical and useful techniques for parents covering the following topics: (1) What Is "Parent Involvement"?; (2) The Right Balance of "Parent Involvement"; (3) Why…

Written by teachers who are also parents, this guide provides proven and practical advice to help parents of children from kindergarten through middle school be active supporters of their children's educational experiences. Issues covered include transition to school, latchkey issues, and talking with teachers. The tips are categorized as follows:…

Communication between parents and teachers is complicated, with attitudes often becoming barriers to effective communication. Factors that affect parent-teacher relationships include childhood memories, professionalization, and bureaucratization. Suggestions for parents to improve communications with teachers include examining their own feelings…

A case study of school-community collaboration in an elementary community school in Israel follows up an environmental education (EE) school-based curriculum that involves the parents and community members in various indoors and outdoors activities. The collaboration was established in the framework of the Community School Approach. In these…

The changing demographics of students in public schools have been a catalyst for reexamining the role of school counselors in the 21st century. Many writers have acknowledged that in order to effectively attend to the needs of students of color, school counselors need to be culturally competent and culturally responsive (e.g., Evans & Carter,…

In this enlightening volume, expert educator Robert Sylvester explains how adults can better understand teenagers through an engaging discussion of the adolescent brain. Readers will learn how to: (1) Mentor adolescents rather than attempt to manage and control them; (2) Nurture creativity, imagination, and individuality; and (3) Understand such…

The parent-teacher conference is a valuable strategy to improve a student's performance. This news brief offers suggestions for developing a "parent friendly" handbook to help parents effectively prepare for teacher-parent conferences. The handbook should include the basic information, a statement that emphasizes the importance of the conference,…