Describes St. Maria Goretti School's Home/School-Read/Discuss program in which parent, teacher, and child sign a contract for leisure reading. Both parent and child read and discuss the selected books. Responsibilities of each participant are listed on the sample reading contract provided. (SJL)

Eight teachers contribute their ideas for successfully working with parents. Included are: a parent information/resource center; guidelines for parent teacher conferences; ideas for using parents as classroom volunteers; and skill development activities that parents can use at home with their children. (SJL)

A fourth-grade teacher explains how she began planning for retention possibilities as soon as the Fall achievement test results became available by notifying parents immediately, working with them throughout the school year to help their failing children, and involving them in the promotion/nonpromotion decision. (SJL)

This article briefly describes 10 effective ways that parents and teachers can work together to motivate children to read. (Author)

Offers five ways to maintain communication lines between parents and English teachers. (RL)

Describes Project DESTINY, a federally funded support program for families with middle school students with emotional and behavioral disabilities in New Hampshire. The development of the program, the involvement of school staff and students, positive outcomes of the program, and tips for enhancing family involvement in schools are discussed. (CR)

Ways to facilitate communication between parents and teachers of students with learning disabilities are discussed, along with communicating with culturally diverse parents. In addition, basic communication principles are addressed, including: being accepting, listening, asking the right questions, and providing encouragement. (SW)

Elementary teachers from four schools nationwide describe how they partner with parent volunteers to enhance education through special projects, yearly events, and schoolwide programs. The activities address self-esteem, family-centered science, geography, and parent learning. (SM)

Two activities help elementary teachers prove to their students' parents that spelling is a priority. Show Growth with Samples and Glean Useful Information from Student Drafts let teachers get to know students independently as spellers and communicate that knowledge to parents. A tear-out sheet for parents explains how to help children become…

Reviews information that teachers can impart to parents to assist them in parenting gifted children. Subjects addressed include characteristics of gifted learners, the need for early identification, school options, advocacy, myths about gifted students, the charge of elitism, the need to organize parent associations, burnout, and resources. (CR)

This article first identifies types of home involvement in schooling as well as barriers to involvement. Similarities and differences between home and school agendas concerning socialization, economics, the politics of decision making, and the helping relationship are examined. Intervention phases include institutional organization for…

To answer the need for better communication between elementary school parents and teachers, this book begins with a theoretical and philosophical framework and reviews the research and current thinking about the need for and value of partnerships between home and school. The book also considers some special needs of parents in today's increasingly…

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,…

The project described in this report explored the effectiveness of a collaborative effort of parents and school personnel in the training and generalization of social skills for socially deficient children. Five students (aged 8-11), classified as behaviorally handicapped or learning disabled, served as subjects and were grouped with…

Assessment of preschoolers with handicaps presents a challenge to assessment personnel due to the children's unwillingness to separate from their parents, non-compliant behaviors, short attention spans, limited expressive language, and other problems. Planning and scheduling considerations include scheduling assessments when the child is…