Parent-educator partnerships are an important element of effective early childhood, K-12, and special education programs (Dunst, Trivette, & Snyder, 2000; Tabors, 2008). While early childhood and other classrooms in the United States are increasingly diverse, the teachers in those classrooms are unlikely to be of the same linguistic or cultural…

Straight talk for teachers with the courage to acknowledge need for help in talking with urban, working-class parents who may have differing values but who share a common concern about the welfare of their children. (Editor)

Discusses how teachers can communicate with parents and suggests aids for parent counseling. (CI)

A strong home-school connection is crucial for students' success, and honest, open dialog during parent-teacher conferences can play an important role in strengthening this connection. This article presents research findings on parent-teacher relationships and practical suggestions for improving parent-teacher conferences. (EV)

Discusses the findings of a parent and teacher survey about communicating children's school progress, noting a mutual dissatisfaction with standardized test scores. Discusses the information parents want, ways to improve teacher-parent communication, and questions teachers should ask themselves about their assessments of students. (JPB)

A male kindergarten teacher spells out ways he is learning to communicate with as well as to parents. (Editor/CB)

Lessons to plan, meetings to attend, bulletin boards to keep up on, and students to educate are just a few of the challenges encountered during the first year of teaching. For many teachers, it is not the hours or workload that cause the most stress, but rather the very people they are trying to help. These people are the parents of the students.…

Offers suggestions for conducting an effective parent-teacher conference and using the information gained for the benefit of children. Suggestions are aimed at reducing anxiety and confusion on the part of parents and teachers and creating a working relationship that contributes to both parents' and children's development. (BB)

Examines the purposes of student evaluation and how they influence the daily life of the classroom. Discusses feedback to students and parents, minimum competencies, classroom observations, formal tests, and self-evaluation. (SS)

Parent-teacher conferences are an opportunity to communicate a belief in the value of a successful partnership between home and school. Productive parent-teacher conferences require effective communication techniques. Teachers can facilitate the process with active listening, positive use of attending skills, good questioning technique, and…

Discusses a method for assessing, evaluating, recording, and reporting pupil progress in kindergarten classes. Describes how continuous assessment and evaluation becomes part of the instruction process, and is conducted through teacher logbooks, skills checklists, portfolio folders, and "pupil passport" folders forwarded to first-grade teachers.…

Fifteen recent documents and journal articles from the ERIC database concerning reporting to parents are summarized. The documents and articles cover topics which include student portfolios, theme-based curriculum, writing and math assessment, parent-teacher conferences, and a national survey of report card entries. (LB)

Partnerships between teachers and parents provide benefits for children's education. Suggested methods by which teachers can establish communications with parents include telephone conferences, printed communications, encouragement of parental visits, developmental checklists sent home, parent-teacher conferences, home visits, and workshops for…

Answers parents' most common questions about alternative assessment. Discusses: why there is a need for change in the way students are evaluated; what alternative assessment is; how parents can recognize the components of an alternative assessment; when alternative assessment occurs; and how alternative assessment contributes to children's…

Summarizes documents and journal articles from the ERIC database discussing topics related to parent-teacher conferences at the elementary and middle levels, including alternative activities such as student-led conferences. (Author)