How parents spend time with their children, what they teach their children and how they raise them in the early years have again become topics of policymaking and public debate. There is an intensive discussion about parental involvement in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's…

In this article I introduce a framework that centers indigenous educational sovereignty in university-school partnerships. Developed from collaborative work with Indigenous Maya families who are migrants from Yucatan, Mexico, the framework operates from an understanding that Indigenous parents have knowledge that is important for their children to…

This article presents Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (CRPBIS), the first framework to operationalize cultural responsiveness in the context of positive behavioral interventions and supports in the United States (Bal 2011). To develop the CRPBIS framework, the author first conducted a systematic review of…

Many parents feel intimidated when talking with special education professionals. There is much in our society which encourages us to look at professionals and to accept what they say without question. However, that does not mean you should be intimidated. The discussion is about your child and you know your child better than anyone, giving you the…

Teachers' and parents' importance ratings of social behaviors for 95 preschoolers were examined using the "Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales" (Gresham & Elliott, 2008). Multivariate analyses were used to examine parents' and teachers' importance ratings at the item and subscale levels. Overall,…

This paper reports on the findings of a case study that investigated how blended teaching and learning was implemented in a New Zealand secondary school. An ecological perspective was taken to clarify the complexity of blended teaching and learning implementation by researching the roles of students, teachers, school leaders and other educational…

While parental involvement's effect on student achievement has been explored in current research, and the relationship among parent, teacher, and student is often discussed, no definite guidelines have been stipulated for successful engagement between the three. The purpose of this project was to examine parental involvement practices…

According to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), school systems must ensure that the individualized education program (IEP) team includes the parent of the child with a disability. Teachers often report the challenges of getting parents to attend IEP meetings often assuming parents' lack of interest with involvement…

This workbook was written to complement the training manual "Planning for Youth Success" (Dorfman and others, 2001). That manual outlines how family and community members can work with school staff and students to set standards for student success. This workbook lays a foundation for building partnerships to help facilitate that process. It is…

This publication presents an overview of programs and practices that schools can use for involving parents in the education of their children at home and in school. The first chapter describes programs that demonstrate the ways in which parents can be involved in the education of their children of 1 to 5 years of age. A list of 10 approaches for…

Visits, calls, letters, and "Saturday school" help parent and teacher to talk, work, and learn together. (Editor)

This paper offers six guidelines to facilitate parent-professional partnerships in neonatal intensive care units and early intervention settings. The guidelines emphasize the need to individualize practices to match parent needs; involve parents; support, trust, and respect parents; adopt a strengths-based perspective; understand parents' and…

This paper briefly discusses the rationale for and importance of establishing effective communication between parents and their children and between parents and schools. Five steps parents can take to develop positive communication with their children are outlined, and 14 general communication guidelines for carrying out a successful…

This issue of the quarterly newsletter, "PLAINTalk," is the third in a four part series, reprinting chapters from Sharon and Craig Ramey's book, "Going to School." This issue presents practical and useful techniques for parents covering the following topics: (1) What Is "Parent Involvement"?; (2) The Right Balance of "Parent Involvement"; (3) Why…

Eight teachers contribute their ideas for successfully working with parents. Included are: a parent information/resource center; guidelines for parent teacher conferences; ideas for using parents as classroom volunteers; and skill development activities that parents can use at home with their children. (SJL)