This paper provides an overview of demographic and educational attainment data on Latinos in Ventura County, California, and describes an ongoing initiative to increase Latino college attendance through improved K-12 preparation and family involvement. In both its urban and rural areas, Ventura County harbors large Latino populations who are…

This study evaluated the degree and quality of program implementation and educational outcomes associated with Kentucky's Family Resource and Youth Service Center, a school-based family resource and support program which emphasized increased involvement of families of special needs students and the community with their schools. Twenty centers…

This paper presents the first comparative findings emerging from 20 individual case studies into the adoption, use, and effects of microcomputers in families. The 20 families are first described according to a number of key demographic characteristics--socioeconomic, nationality, parent occupations, number and ages of children, etc. An examination…

This paper demonstrates the use of teacher-made and parent-made instructional games to practice basic skills, as an alternative to traditional homework assignments. The game formats provide mainstreamed mildly handicapped students with the additional practice necessary to achieve mastery, in an environment that is more motivating and allows for…

This compilation brings together various conference papers and a working group report on health and psychosocial aspects of transition for people with deaf-blindness and other profound disabilities. The title paper by Sharon Hostler focuses on health service needs of the individual, including health planning, a transition health assessment, and an…

This paper discusses a research project undertaken to explore placement of minority children in white families. The intent of the research was to evaluate criticism of transracial adoption by groups including the National Association of Black Social Workers which stated in 1972 that "Black children should be placed only with black…

In this paper, the author describes a game that is played by the school administration, faculty, staff, students, and parents in order to improve a school curriculum. The game gives all persons interested in the school an opportunity to "purchase" the kind of education they feel is needed. A player is given 20 Play money bills, each in the…

This paper explores the challenges facing educators to incorporate "informatics"--computer education in the broad context of information technology--into the curriculum for K-12 students, and "capacitation" for teachers, the continuing professional education which enables and empowers teachers to face these demands. The…

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…

A study examined the early literacy experiences of rural disabled children, ages 3-8. Data originated from a subset of the National Household Education Survey of 1995 that included 1,316 families with disabled children and 8,009 families with nondisabled children. Participants were asked about their race/ethnicity, education level, native…

Over a decade ago, the Minnesota state legislature funded the Council on Quality Education to create nine exemplary and experimental pilot programs to support young children and their families. One of the early models was a family-oriented, structured preschool activity that featured weekly 2-hour sessions during which parents of 4-year-olds…

The popularity of home care for chronically ill or technology-dependent children has moved professionals into unfamiliar settings. Factors responsible for the relatively sudden surge of effort to place children with complex needs at home include costs, individualism and autonomy, changing views of medicine and its institutions, limits of medical…

Although charter schools are rapidly becoming an integral part of the public-school landscape, much remains unknown about them. This paper reports on the findings of a descriptive-research study that comprised an analysis of U.S. charter-school statutes. The focus of the investigation was on equity in the areas of student recruitment, admission…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the effectiveness of four Elementary Mental Health Operations (ELMHO) programs in Pinellas County, Florida. ELMHO programs were designed to provide school-based mental health services to children and their families to help elementary students with emotional disabilities learn to cope…

This collection of papers presented at a 1996 conference on children's mental health focuses on early intervention approaches. Papers have the following titles and authors: (1) "Child Maltreatment and Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Other Drugs: Some Preliminary Findings" (Patrick A. Curtis and Mary Wood Schneider); (2) "Evaluation…