To learn more about how parents understand the whole child approach to education, ASCD commissioned KRC Research to conduct a study that included parent focus groups in Richmond, Virginia; and Columbus, Ohio, as well as a survey of 800 parents across the United States to identify their perceptions of what a whole child education is, how it is…

Parents' involvement in their children's education influences the children's educational success and is regarded as best practice in early childhood. A critical component in increasing parental involvement is effective collaboration between teacher and family. This involves being friendly, honest, and clear; listening and providing information;…

This article considers the story of 3-year-old Mia and her mother's request that teachers keep Mia away from messy projects. It offers an opportunity to apply the Code, with a special emphasis on its 2011 reaffirmation and update. This revision has sharpened the focus on the importance of nurturing two-way communication between teachers/caregivers…

Advocacy is of central importance in the education of students with gifts and talents due to the great variation in legislated policies protecting the provision of educational services for these learners. The authors present here a descriptive study based on their experiences founding a successful parent advocacy organization in one large school…

The article provides a rationale and description of a constructivist parent-teacher approach used to support preservice teachers' understandings of relationships between home and school. Using a critical theoretical framing of policy, social science, and enacted curriculum, the authors ask readers to consider moving away from proscribed models of…

This article explores the face-to-face interactions between parents and teachers in parent-teacher conferences in the Swedish preschool. The article highlights how the preschool teacher introduces the conference by using a specific artifact, so-called "strength cards" with words relating to characteristic behaviour and qualities. The theoretical…

In this study it was aimed to determine the effects of parental involvement, teachers' trust in parents and students, and teachers' pupil control ideology on the conflict management strategies used by teachers in classroom management. Data were collected from a sample of 254 teachers through paper and pencil questionnaires. Data were analyzed with…

Evidence-based practices represent an important advance in how effective instructional practices are conceptualized and identified, which has the potential to improve the educational outcomes of children with disabilities. Because parents have unique insights and knowledge regarding their children, special educators should collaborate with parents…

Researchers and policy makers overwhelmingly stress the harmonious nature of parent involvement. Researchers have focused on individual forms of parent involvement, yet collective efforts of parents in parent-teacher organizations (PTOs) are a key dynamic in schools. Drawing on a case study of an elementary school in an upper-middle-class…

The author reports on how cash-strapped school districts turn to outside groups for help in paying for staff and academic essentials, prompting frustration from some. In states and school districts still struggling to recover from recession-induced funding cuts, parent and community groups are feeling the pressure to raise money for instructional…

The organization that claims to represent the voice and interests of K-12 students and their parents is the Parent Teacher Association, widely known as the PTA. The organization aims to provide "parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be…

This study presents the findings of a content analysis of 120 high school-level, written discipline policies collected from six states. Suspension was commonly offered as a response for all behaviors, including minor ones. Discipline policies varied by state in terms of the degree to which suspension was featured. Based on these findings and…

The transformative power of dialogue has the potential to serve as a healthful alternative to unproductive strategies for problem-solving in many communication contexts (Ryan & Natalle, 2001). Sadly, educational contexts emerge as contexts in dire need of such communicative reconstruction, evidenced by the alarming increase in incidences of…

This study examined the relationship between parental contact (frequency of student-parent communication) and involvement (parents' interest and/or involvement in students' academic progress and decision-making) with college students' personal, social, and academic development. Parental involvement accounted for over two-thirds of the significant…

Using a theoretical framework that integrates socio-cultural theory, postcolonial perspectives, and the ethic of care, we (a) characterize the relationship between immigrant parents and their children's teachers, (b) offer reasons for the relationship, and (c) suggest some strategies for improving them. Several focus group discussions were held…