Presents a model of the family in which parental beliefs about child development play a critical mediating role between family structure and interaction. Counselors must consider belief systems and the family as a unit rather than isolating the problems of the individual. (JAC)

Reviews research evidence contradicting the myths about minority parents' involvement in their children's education. Gives suggestions for improving parent-teacher communication and changing school structures and strategies to improve the partnership with minority parents. (SK)

Results indicated among children in low social competence at initial clinic visit, higher levels of subsequent negative life events predicted higher levels of somatic complaints at follow-up. Life events and somatic complaints were also related to characteristics exhibited by patient's parents. (53 references) (BF)

Parent reports of behavioral and family functioning for 59 learning-disabled (LD) boys and 65 nondisabled boys aged 6-12 years found higher incidence of behavior problems among LD boys. Families of LD boys more frequently exhibited disturbed family functioning, although the boys in those families showed no more behavior problems than boys of other…

This document is one of a series of guides to self-evaluation that builds on the advice given in the publication "How good is our school?" (2002 edition). This guide should be used to evaluate the quality of parental partnerships and is designed for use by teachers, managers, education support services, parents and the bodies that…

This study investigated parents' perceptions of their family's functioning and the level of early intervention support they received as they reflected on their involvement at an oral early intervention centre for children with hearing loss. Overall, parents reported high levels of family functioning and satisfaction with the services they had…

Services for families caring for a child with a learning disability are changing to become more family-centred, focusing not only on the child's needs but on those of the whole family. An evaluation of a newly developed Families Project in one Health and Social Service Trust area in Northern Ireland aimed to identify the impact on parents and ways…

This paper focuses on findings from a qualitative study of care-giving Arab Muslim families of children with developmental disabilities in the United Arab Emirates. The perceptions of mothers in relation to family acceptance and social inclusion issues are explored. Parental views of existing provision are also considered with regard to existing…

There is considerable debate about the relative importance of family versus school factors in producing academic and nonacademic student outcomes, and whether and how their impacts vary across different student groups. In addition to critically reviewing and synthesizing earlier work, this study extends the literature by (a) using the ECLS-K, a…

This book summarizes the major research findings that show how to substantially increase student achievement. This book draws on a number of investigators who have statistically synthesized many studies. A new education method showing superior results in 90% of the studies concerning it has more credibility than a method that shows results in only…

Children drawn on a variety of experiences when they first become interested in literature. Cultural as well as economic backgrounds may influence their selection. Attitudes from family members may also influence these choices. A study determined the effect of exposure to literacy in the early years on reading in the "formal" school years.…

To investigate the hypothesis that the degree of disturbance shown by a child is a function of his perception of family adjustment, two groups of 13 families each were studied. Subjects were adolescent patients, normal siblings, parents, and a normal control group of adolescents and parents. Perceptions of the family and ideal family were obtained…

Children reveal important effects of their schooling at home. Thus, parents should play a more meaningful role in evaluating schools. When students are old enough, their feedback should be solicited for evaluation purposes. The feedback process must be structured to inform and support school personnel. (VM)

Examines associations among contemporaneous measures of marital quality, parenting attitudes and behavior, and toddler development in two-parent families. Seventy-five families with one 20-month-old child served as subjects. Results generally indicated that good marital quality was associated with optimal toddler functioning and sensitive…

Results suggest that recollections of earlier experienced parental attitudes can be retrospective clues of earlier parent-child interaction along the alienation dimension of an Anti-Establishment vs. Establishment philosophy of early child rearing. (Authors/MB)