Teachers can foster open communication and parental involvement through use of a daily reportcard system for students with academic or behavior problems. Suggestions are provided for: gathering baseline data; identifying areas of concern; designing the report format; selecting reinforcers; conducting student conferences; implementing the system;…

With updated language and references to the 2005 revision of the Code of Ethical Conduct, this book, like the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, seeks to inform, not prescribe, answers to tough questions that teachers face as they work with children, families, and colleagues. To help everyone become well acquainted with the Code and use it in one's…

This checklist for beginning teachers (as well as school administrators, mentors, teacher supervisors, and student teachers) includes five sections: "Prepare Personally and Professionally" (the last year in college and getting hired as a teacher); "Success on the Job" (know when to say no, take advantage of a mentor, network to keep current,…

Many parents do not know how to become involved in their children's education, and many teachers do not receive enough training in working with families. This quarterly early childhood digest discusses ways families and schools can work together to help young children learn and grow. The digest begins by describing how a teacher's home visit…

This paper asserts that early childhood teachers need to consider the families with whom they work in order to select the most effective ways to involve them in their child's education. The paper presents strategies mentioned most often in interviews with teachers and families working in effective family involvement programs. Each strategy is…

The Families in Education Program, dedicated to nurturing a family-community-school partnership, provides this packet for Wisconsin schools to use throughout the year to promote families and learning. The articles in this packet contain ideas for making family-community partnerships work in the schools. Articles address the following topics: (1)…

Issues teachers should consider before introducing the subject of nuclear arms into classroom teaching are raised, and tips for dealing with this sensitive subject are given. Sources of curriculum materials are listed, and problems with prepackaged curricula are pointed out. (PP)

Offers suggestions for both teachers and parents about how they can best work together in a new partnership. (Author/JM)

Presents the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's panel recommendations concerning moral education in public schools. Stresses the role teachers and administrators play in assessing a school's moral climate and defining and encouraging moral action. Provides strategies for schools. Examines how ties between schools and…

Interviews with 117 mothers of public school students indicated that parents of students with disabilities were offered more opportunities to be involved, were more satisfied with their involvement, and felt more able to influence their children's education than parents of nonhandicapped students. No significant differences were related to…

Suggestions are offered to special educators for improving communication at parent-teacher conferences, including relationship skills such as demonstrating genuine caring, building rapport, listening, showing empathy, reflecting affect, and using clarifying statements. A checklist for self-monitoring in these areas is included. (DB)

A nationwide survey examined the attitudes and opinions of 203 professionals regarding parent-professional involvement in the planning and implementation of goals and services for hearing-impaired infants and toddlers and their families, as required under Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments (1986). Respondents…

Two articles offer suggestions for primary level teachers to help their students grow. The first discusses how teachers should respond to violence and help students regain a sense of safety. The second presents 10 everyday ways to help children appreciate many cultures, noting how teachers can examine their own biases. (SM)

This article offers five guidelines for creating exceptional partnerships between special educators and families including: family-centered practices, respecting the uniqueness of families, understanding the coping stages of families of a child with a disability, understanding ways in which families match strategies and resources, and family…

This packet of handouts focuses on the role of the family in easing their child with disabilities from one early childhood educational program to another. Typical items include: reasons for involving families in transition; questions parents ask about "appropriate" placement; planned conversations with parents during the transition process; parent…