Drastic social problems challenge teachers looking to increase parental involvement in schools. Traditional strategies to involve parents, such as inviting parents to meetings and school events, do not promote genuine interaction between home and school. Instead, they separate parents and teachers. Two-way communication between home and school is…

A qualitative study of women elementary school teachers focused on the teachers' values, attitudes towards teaching, and how they negotiated their work interest with sex role and family expectations. Formal and informal interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents were conducted over a seven month period. Three perspectives provided the…

If teachers have the skills to successfully educate students without disabilities, then they can succeed in teaching students with disabilities who are included in regular education. Preservice level teachers need skills for successful participation in the daily routines of inclusive classrooms before they actually enter the regular classroom.…

Argues that early childhood educators must create partnerships between parents and teachers to facilitate parents' interest and support of their children's education, the most important determinant of success in school. Notes that successful partnerships begin with mutual respect, communication, understanding, cooperation, and provision of varied…

Discusses nine reasons why quality in day care centers depends on the adult with whom children interact on a day-to-day basis. Defines teacher roles in providing a high quality early childhood program. (DR)

Maintains that parents of a handicapped child, for example, a child with cerebral palsy, are "walking a tightrope." Successful intervention with the disabled child in the classroom is possible only when there is strong teacher-parent communication. This position is illustrated by an account of a parent's personal experience. (BB)

Reflects on the author's role as kindergarten teacher in the classroom and the impact of a session on the Reggio Emilia preschools. Focuses on changes in the author's perspectives regarding the roles of teacher, student, and parent and their relationships. Discusses struggles with implementing Reggio inspired projects and the increasing use of…

Educators face no greater challenge than improving the academic odds for economically disadvantaged, minority children, because they are at the greatest risk for failure. A recent study from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill uncovered ways in which, despite good intentions,…

At a meeting in DuPage County, Illinois, in April 1972, speakers representing the PTA, students, school teachers and administrators, outdoor education, the Illinois School Boards Association, and the Open Lands Project voiced enthusiastic support for introducing environmental education into the school curriculum. One of the County's several…

Maintains that an overhaul of the public educational system is necessary to meet the needs of all students, including poor and minority students. (BB)

A response to ideas set forth in J. Brien O'Callaghan's article, "School-Based Collaboration with Families: An Effective Model for a Society in Crisis," this article applauds and discusses school-based collaboration. Areas of concern are unfounded diagnostic assumptions, questionable ethical behavior, and limited breadth and scope of suggested…

The basic premise of this paper is that decisions about children and their early educational experiences are culturally situated and, by definition, will reflect varying interpretations of appropriate educational aims and strategies. Drawing upon three decades of experience in the Italian culture as well as preliminary findings from a…

Summarizes current theories about children's peer relationships and suggests practices recommended by teachers for parents concerned about their children's social development. Asserts that not having friends can be frustrating and painful for young children. Explores parental influences and gives steps parents can take to enhance children's social…

Today, society has a greater understanding of what constitutes children at risk. Unlike years past, educators within society can no longer take the luxury of ignoring students facing emotional and social challenges. Instead, they must respond quickly and positively to the needs of students faced with many of these challenges by developing…

Examines the question of crossing cultures in early childhood education settings. Suggests that parenting education should focus on clarifying parents' values and goals rather than on socializing them into the standard early childhood perspectives. Suggests that early childhood educators help people clarify their cultural values and examine how…