This paper discusses the effects of nursery school assessment policy on collaboration among staff from different professional backgrounds and between staff and parents. The paper highlights this point by reporting the results of a survey of assessment practices in 30 nursery schools in the Strathclyde Region of Scotland. The issue of assessment…

The fourth of 16 booklets designed for use in an Open University course about education for handicapped children in the United Kingdom, this document focuses on family life, particularly in families with severely handicapped children. Parents' reactions to the initial diagnosis of their child's handicapping condition are discussed, as well as the…

Parental involvement and participation, partnership with parents, and community-focused development are important features of government initiatives such as the Sure Start project for children under four years of age and their families. A common feature of the rhetoric is "empowerment" as a means of achieving this. This article describes…

This paper analyzes the effects of British government directives on teacher education. A study of elementary and secondary teachers investigated perceived gaps in their initial teacher education (ITE). Two major gaps were handling behavior problems and dealing with parents, neither well-addressed by ITE. Most teachers believed they should not be…

This book is intended to be a contribution to raising the awareness of primary teachers and trainee teachers as to what is involved in all the different professional dimensions of their work in schools. The book deals with the key professional issues in primary teaching that are addressed in primary teacher training courses. The book aims to…

This document contains the proceedings of a conference on family literacy that was attended by representatives of community-based literacy and family literacy programs in Newfoundland and Labrador. The document begins with an executive summary of the conference activities. The texts of the following keynote addresses are presented: "A…