A "recovering" former principal humorously discusses the collapse of society, the condition of today's children, and the pressures facing parents. Noting dramatic changes in principals' roles, he offers tips for eliciting parents' support. Principals should make parents feel welcome, use proper body language during conferences, and…

A teacher, worried that parent-teacher conferences were not informative enough, invited the students to participate in their own conferences. The students have an added stake in the conferences, and parent attendance has increased because of the children's involvement. (MT)

This research project was designed to help the faculty at a southwestern, urban elementary school better understand what parents thought about the school's alternative assessment methods and narrative reporting to communicate with parents. Assessment methods were defined as the ways teachers learn about students' understandings, and communication…

The purpose of this book is to provide activities, forms, and information to aid elementary and middle school counselors in improving services and programs for students. The materials included may also serve as an invaluable tool in assisting newly employed counselors in setting up their programs. This publication is organized in the format of the…

Discusses the importance of the two-way communication process in parent-teacher conferences and offers guidelines for effective parent-teacher interaction. (JG)

Tapping parents' willingness to be involved, planning productive exchanges, and reaching the hard-to-reach parent are addressed in this article. Ways to establish a partnership with parents are suggested. (MT)

A COMPLETE REVIEW OF AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GUIDANCE PILOT PROJECT IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, WAS PRESENTED. TWO CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN INTEGRATED, DISADVANTAGED AREAS WERE SELECTED. PREPLANNING OF THE DUTIES OF THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, GOALS OF THE PILOT PROGRAMS, AND EDUCATION OF TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY WERE COMPLETED. GUIDELINES ON ANECDOTAL RECORD…

Tips to break the tension and make parent-teacher conferences productive are offered. A reproducible page with suggestions for parents entitled "How To Get the Most Out of Parent-Teacher Conferences" is included. (MT)

The introduction of the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment's (SOMPA's) Sociocultural Scales potentially enables psychologists to more formally acquire and use information about sociocultural characteristics within children's families. However, until now, data on the Scale's stability have not been available. This paper reports the…

Home visits can encourage parents to appreciate, respect, and care for the school program and to offer support and assistance to their children in that program. (Author)

A teacher describes her method for ensuring effective, productive parent-teacher conferences. Suggestions include: scheduling conferences during the first two weeks of school; keeping a flexible schedule; preparing a simple parent questionnaire; explaining expectations and obtaining parents' expectations; making a problem solving agreement; and…

TWO PILOT STUDIES OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENT CHARACTERISTICS AND THE READING ACHIEVEMENT OF THEIR CHILDREN ARE REPORTED. THE FIRST STUDY COMPARED THE BEHAVIOR OF MOTHERS OF HIGH AND LOW VERBAL GIRLS IN TWO SEMISTRUCTURED INTERACTION SITUATIONS. TEN HIGH VERBAL AND 10 LOW VERBAL GIRLS WERE SELECTED FOR STUDY ON THE BASIS OF SCORES ON THE…

Effective communication is a two-way process. Educators must be willing to listen to parents and create convenient, comfortable avenues and forums. A Missouri school reversed the usual parent-teacher conference format, allowing parents to lead discussions about their children's strengths and weaknesses. Parents enjoyed this format, and teachers…

Discusses steps that teachers and concerned parents can take to ensure that their students and children are not overburdened by standardized tests. Examines the significance of standardized tests and considers some alternatives to standardized tests, such as more effective parent-teacher conferences. (MDM)

Describes how parent teacher conferences in elementary schools in Tacoma, Washington, differ from traditional conferences by starting early in the schools year, being held at least twice a year, lasting about 40 minutes, including students, developing goals using conference information, and involving parents and students in developing goals to…