The first portion of this paper focuses upon the historical significance of Black parent-school relationships; the latter centers upon strategies for improving communications between Catholic school educators and Black parents of exceptional children. It is part of a theme issue on disabilities. (Author/SJL)

Discusses the importance of communication between preschool providers and parents of children with disabilities who are transitioning from early intervention programs to preschool programs. Communication needs before, during, and after the transition are addressed. A sample questionnaire for families of new students and a communication schedule…

The Parent Transition Plan ensures a child's smooth transition from preschool to public school kindergarten and assigns responsibility for various tasks to parents or school personnel. This article outlines the need for a transition plan, the goals of transition planning, and guidelines for writing the plan at a parent-teacher meeting. (JDD)

Thirty-four secondary regular and special education teachers and 92 parents of students (both disabled and nondisabled) were interviewed concerning school goals, home-school partnerships, and student diversity. Findings indicate that parents perceive their partnerships to be weak or nonexistent. Suggestions for the establishment of parity-based…

This descriptive study of 325 Ohio special education teachers examined factors influencing their attitudes about parents as educational collaborators. The study found that teachers view parents as more capable and are more open to parent input if they interact more frequently. Also, student age influenced openness, independent of interaction…

Discussion of the role of play in development of young children with disabilities considers the different forms of play as the child develops, the social nature of play, contexts and play materials, and the value of including play goals and strategies in the individualized family service plan or individual education program developed cooperatively…

A study involving 58 parents of children with disabilities investigated how professionals could help families learn how to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Sensitivity toward child specific issues of ethnicity and disability, and parental involvement in parent-professional partnerships were stressed. (Contains…

Interviews of 18 parents with children (ages 3 to 6) with disabilities in inclusive settings indicate that parental world views had a strong influence on decisions about children's placement, parents had a broad view of inclusion, and expectations of the parent/professional relationship were more pronounced because of factors related to inclusion.…

A study investigated the perceptions, levels of satisfaction, and concerns of 8 Korean parents of children with disabilities in regard to U.S. special education services. Participants expressed their satisfaction with certain aspects of the special education system, agreed they had been sent too many written materials, and used mediators.…

A survey of 639 general education teachers resulted in the following recommendations for improving home-school communication about homework for students with disabilities: release and mutual planning time, assignment books, parent attendance at meetings and daily monitoring of homework, and use of telephone networks to promote remote access to…

Twenty strategies are presented for enhancing the involvement of parents from diverse backgrounds, including: exploring parents' expectations, learning about the family's culture, providing communication in many forms, making use of casual contacts with parents, planning different times for conferences, involving interpreters, and linking…

The purpose of this study was to explore the opinions and perspectives of special education teachers and parents of children in special education regarding the implementation of individualized instruction within the special education system in the People's Republic of China. The study group consisted of a random sample of 344 parents of children…

Meeting a crucial need, this book provides clear recommendations for authentic developmental assessment of children from infancy to age 6, including those with developmental delays and disabilities. It describes principles and strategies for collecting information about children's everyday activities in the home, preschool, and community, which…

This document presents one module in a set of training resources for trainers to use with parents and/or professionals serving children with disabilities; focus is on parental involvement. The modules stress content and activities that build skills and offer resources to promote parent-professional collaboration. Each module takes about 2 hours to…

The digest explores the rights as well as the responsibilities of parents of handicapped children in the special education process. Rights include a free appropriate public education, notification regarding evaluation or change in placement, informed consent, independent evaluation, review of all records, participation in the Individualized…