This report examines the cost effectiveness of the Marchus School's 599/1261 Project, one of two programs funded by the State of California, that established an inclusive education program for 17 students with serious emotional disturbances at risk for nonpublic school placements. The project teaches academic, social, and conflict resolution…

This report discusses policies and practices for family-directed child evaluation and assessment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The scope of the report includes practices across the early childhood spectrum, from birth through 5 years. Commonly used terminology is defined. Issues discussed include: the primacy of…

Describes BRIDGE (Being Responsive to Individual Differences in General Education), a partnership between university faculty and two elementary schools that focuses on the collaborative practices and programs in general and special education. The program centers on four initiatives: teacher collaboration, family liaisons, teacher research and…

Describes On Board Early, a Baltimore program designed to increase family-school experiences that support children's success. Discusses such program features as specialized family involvement staff, a parents-as-teachers program, a family-centered approach to supporting the transition to school, and planning for long-term family involvement.…

Describes an initiative that engages a teacher education program with an innovative urban "full-service" elementary school in a joint effort to serve children and families and provide a deeper and broader experience with urban education for suburban preservice teachers. Education students complete traditional and nontraditional fieldwork in the…

This article discusses four solution-focused assumptions in providing early intervention services to children with speech-language disabilities and their families. These assumptions are: a polyocular perspective promotes successful family participation in treatment, a family's story contains resources for change, successful experiences promote…

Potential barriers related to the participation of Latino families in programs addressing the needs of individuals with severe handicaps are discussed. A successful education and training activity for Latino families with children with developmental disabilities, which provides a family focus in the family's own language and integrates relevant…

Provides highlights from the National Commission on Children's 1990 final report. Recommendations address such issues as ensuring income security, improving children's health, increasing educational achievement, preparing adolescents for adulthood, supporting families, protecting vulnerable children and their families, and making policies and…

Thumbnail sketches of four schools in Edmonds School District (Washington) illustrate ways they have built strong parent and community relationships: parent volunteers in a parent-cooperative school; a family-oriented neighborhood school; a school offering school-based health and social services; and a Cyberschool that provides resources to…

This paper describes the Early Intervention and Family Support Training Program of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program at Western Carolina Center, North Carolina. The program uses competence-based training to flexibly respond to interdisciplinary needs and interests while preserving essential core content. The paper discusses role…

One university, in partnership with educational, business, and community agencies, established an early literacy and learning model to improve literacy among at-risk young children. The initiative was founded on the concepts of collaborative restructuring, reading research, high-performance learning environments, and family involvement. It has…

This article discusses in-service training of Swedish professionals in family-centered intervention for families with children with disabilities. The training, which has been implemented on an interdisciplinary team basis in the context of ordinary habilitation services, is described as one of several options for fostering improvement within an…

Describes one school's approach to working with families to increase communication between school and home using available technologies. Discusses note writing versus e-mail; telephone versus speakerphone; traditional versus alternative assessments and parent-teacher conferences; and features of a Web site that allows families to access…

Responding to serious behaviour problems requires new practice answers and emphases. Best practice principles and a developmental perspective indicate that the family should be the focus of preventative work. The Incredible Years parent training series is described as an important example of an empirically-supported programme that is presently…

How to involve families in the formal education of their children is a question researchers and educators have been trying to answer since the first bricks were laid for the nation's public education system. A solution must be found, for family involvement has been proven to be associated with a myriad of stellar outcomes, including greater…