The two most common concerns of parents of children with learning disabilities are the social acceptance and future of the child. These children can only build a feeling of self worth through parental acceptance. The parent should avoid indulging in guilt feelings and focus on the child's strengths instead of weaknesses. (JN)

Provides lists of parent and teacher concerns and concludes that the common feature is the child. Recommends exercises for bringing parents and teachers closer. (FL)

Educators must respect parents' rights to protect their children from harmful books, but they must also see that one individual or group does not censor valuable books from every child. The paper discusses recent increases in censorship, presenting suggestions for making the best defense and offense when handling book complaints. (SM)

Presents information on parent courses offered in the context of Montessori philosophy. Suggests that the program creates a strong bond between parents and school: carefully chosen topics recognize parents' concerns and provide support and solutions; when parents truly understand what a Montessori education accomplishes, they are more likely to…

To be successful, educational reform must involve the range of educational shareholders from the beginning in discussions about what to change and why. The participatory reform method of the Institute for Responsive Education illustrates parent-teacher action research for new foundations for educational structures. (SLD)

Presents a conceptualization of leadership styles. Describes the impact of this conceptualization on administrative tasks and functions and its implications for child care directors. (BB)

Responds to "Deception of Inclusion" (Chesley and Calaluce) by discussing the meaning of inclusion in three parts: (1) by acknowledging the meaning of education itself; (2) by describing the effect of inclusive programs; and (3) by explaining why professionals need to begin to recognize parents as essential collaborators. (CR)

Recommends that teachers using a personalized literature-based reading program send a letter to parents detailing the expectations and responsibilities the teachers have for their students and the role parents play in the reading lives of children. Suggests ideas to be included in such a letter. (SR)

In this article, a parent of a child with a developmental disability discusses the complications of parent-professional partnerships and identifies the following five distinct features, or dimensions, which both entangle and enhances the partnership dance: choice, forced intimacy, identification of partners, role expectations, and differing…

Betsy Rogers is the National Teacher of the Year. She teaches elementary school in Leeds, Alabama, near Birmingham, where she developed a looping class, staying with the same students for two years, from first through second grades. A teacher for 22 years, Rogers earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1974 at Samford University.…

This paper examines the need for educators to work from a systems approach and become more involved in understanding the culture and family of minority students if these students are to learn the skills necessary to cope in school and society. The focus of the paper is on the Black student and begins with three vignettes, examples of questions…

The parent-teacher conference offers an opportunity to improve communication between home and school. In addition, it is an ideal time for discussing how the home environment can compliment and reinforce the work accomplished at school. Thus, when parents ask what they can do at home to help, the teacher can respond with specific suggestions for…

Although mutual collaboration has been favored by educational reformers of earlier periods, there has never been such a unanimous swing in different countries towards parent involvement as in the 1970's. Which objectives for home-school collaboration gain priority and how collaboration is organized depend to a large extent on national traditions,…

Examines the debate on the role of the state in relation to families with young children. Discusses the meaning of parental involvement in the preschool field and the implication of this growng emphasis on parent involvement for the relationship between parents and professionals. (AS)

Offers suggestions to help teachers plan for more effective conferences with parents. (FL)