Dramatic changes in the economic and political structure of the Czech Republic in recent years have challenged schools to transform themselves from closed institutions into open organizations that collaborate with families and communities. This study explored the questions: (1) Are changes in school/family relations really occurring? (2) What are…

One important aspect of family involvement that has been consistently overlooked is the need to prepare teachers for intensive work with families and communities. This study investigated professional development and teacher education in the hope of providing a framework for developing more comprehensive approaches for family involvement in…

This guide is intended to help those providing services to infants and young children with special needs to work more effectively and collegially with family members at the program and policy level. The guide stresses the benefits and barriers to family participation in advisory activities and offers guidelines for promoting family participation.…

The High School and Family Partnership Project began in 1991 with two urban, two suburban, and two rural high schools in Maryland to learn more about whether basic theories, frameworks, and practices of family, student, and community involvement are appropriate at the high school level; how schools can develop and implement such practices; and how…

The study described in this report was intended to provide researchers with comprehensive, longitudinal baseline data on average children and their families. The study focused on positive growth and development by identifying a national sample of children and families for researchers to study. The children were examined in five main areas: (1)…

Increasing parent involvement in the Pacific region requires an understanding of the traditional system of Pacific education. While historically Pacific education involved parents and community members as children's first teachers, the American model of education virtually ignores this tradition. The school assumes the entire responsibility for…

This special issue of a periodical focuses on building support and resources for families of children with special needs. It contains 13 articles in addition to descriptions of 10 programs serving special needs families at the local level, a list of 15 resource organizations and 10 publications/audiovisual aids, and a message from the coalition's…

The book defines and discusses eight key elements of a family-centered approach to care for children with chronic illnesses and special health care needs: (1) recognition that the family is the constant in the child's life, while the service systems and personnel within those systems fluctuate; (2) facilitation of parent/professional collaboration…

The low level of family involvement in school affairs has become a predominant explanation for a wide variety of school problems. Although there is little data to support the two underlying assumptions of this causal relationship, i.e., a decrease in family involvement, and the efficacy of parent participation in enhancing student performance,…

This monograph offers suggestions to teachers and administrators for involving parents in middle school programs. It outlines the reasons for encouraging such involvement, identifies some of the roles parents may play, and delineates the steps to be taken in establishing a program that taps the time and talents of parents and other adults.…

This document reviews evidence on the effects of early childhood intervention programs. A brief discussion of the issues surrounding the support and funding of compensatory education is presented and 10 preschool intervention programs (involving more than 2,000 children in various experimental and control groups) in which evaluation data were…

SEVENTY-ONE CHILDREN WERE ENROLLED IN THE KICKAPOO-NORTH CANADIAN PROJECT FOR A PERIOD OF 2 MONTHS OR LONGER. THIS REPORT IS DIVIDED INTO 7 SECTIONS AND 2 APPENDICES. PART I CONTAINS A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRESS OF EACH CHILD DURING THE PROJECT. PART II CONTAINS BIOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE STAFF. PART III CONTAINS A LIST OF SPECIAL…

The goal of the Families Learning Together Program is to design, systematize, field test, evaluate and publish a dual-focus curriculum for teaching adults and children. Adult basic education, parenting, and daily life skills were to be taught to adults as these adults simultaneously taught their children attitudes and skills of the program are…

While the research is clear that family involvement fosters student achievement, it does not clearly describe what family involvement looks like in practice. The authors of this booklet interviewed parents and other family members, teachers, and administrators at four elementary schools and two secondary schools in Oregon and Montana that are…

Recognizing that families have played an essential role in the Head Start philosophy since the program's inception, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) is an effort to develop a descriptive profile of families participating in the Head Start program and services, as well as to develop, test, and refine Program Performance…