This handbook for educators offers guidance on ways to understand families, family-teacher communication, the process of reinforcing classwork at home, caring for the whole child, and selected resources. Chapter 1 discusses the climate for family involvement, different perceptions of teachers and families, what families want to know, today's…

A manual for the 1996 Louisiana Summer Reading Program is presented in five sections with an Olympic and sports-related theme and illustrations. An evaluation form, a 1996 monthly calendar, and clip art images are provided. The first section covers promotion and publicity, and contains facts about the Olympics, promotion ideas, and sample news…

As part of the Louisiana state teacher assessment program to enhance student learning, this manual provides suggestions and resources for teacher practice keyed to attributes of the "Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching." Each of these attributes is accompanied by suggested strategies, evidence of completion, and resources. The…

Materials from a training session on assessing teaching effectiveness via a clinical supervision model are presented. The historical development of classroom observations and instruments is summarized, and the five-step method of clinical supervision (Goldhammer, 1969) is detailed. One step toward the improvement of classroom instruction through…

This booklet, written in Spanish, provides a guide for parents to help their children become successful in school mathematics. The information is divided into four sections: (1) important facts about the mathematics curriculum and mathematics instruction; (2) expectations about participation, calculators, cooperative learning, dialogue, and…

These two documents pertain to the "Parents and Schools: Success through Partnership" program. The presentation guide for school administrators and Teachers" is intended to help school personnel present the program and its associated video, which addresses common culturally-based causes of misunderstandings between Hispanic American parents and…

The BRIDGES Project was initiated to explore ways for North Dakota to provide young people with stronger bridges from childhood to adulthood. This report summarizes recommendations of the 1990-91 Governor's Task Force on Early Adolescence. The recommendations concern practical actions for the building of bridges by the following groups: (1)…

This sourcebook is designed to give urban educators new information and strategies for working with parents of elementary school students through grade 6. Its five workshops explore how family life, school programs, teacher practices, and district policies can help build school-family partnerships for learning. Threaded through these workshops are…

This book is a guide to the development and use of performance tasks and rubrics in the middle school mathematics classroom. It contains a rationale for, and a discussion of strengths and limitations of, performance tasks to assess student achievement and progress in mathematics. A field-tested process is offered for developing performance tasks…

Portfolios, collections of student work representing a selection of performance, are being used in classrooms today in the tradition of the visual and performing arts in which they serve to showcase a student's best pieces and the student's evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the pieces. Portfolios are useful as a support to new…

This book, written as an extended letter to teachers, addresses the concerns teachers have for their work with students and reflects on the art of teaching. The letter is developed around 12 chapters: (1) "Toward Large Purposes" places teachers' work in a philosophical as well as a pedagogical and curricular perspective; (2)…

Abstractor's analyses of 15 science education research studies are presented in three sections. The nine analyses in the first section focus on studies dealing with preservice and inservice teacher education. Areas investigated in these studies include: effectiveness of some inservice practices; teachers' perceptions of the importance of some…

This manual invites California's educators and residents to join in planning and implementing changes that will improve elementary schooling. Chapters cover: (1) the processes of planning and implementing change; (2) quality criteria for elementary schools; (3) the program quality review process; (4) practice exercises and scenarios; (5) exercises…

The purpose of this manual is to provide school-age child care center staff in Alabama with information about school-age children that facilitates program planning and provides a basis for implementing and evaluating a high quality school-age child care (SACC) program. Sections of the manual discuss: (1) teacher competencies addressed by the…

Guidance for the development, assessment and/or improvement of science education programs in Michigan is provided in this handbook for teachers, administrators, and parents. It provides a philosophical foundation and curricular framework from which educators could construct comprehensive local science education programs. The nature of science is…