This progress report of a multi-site project involving eight elementary and middle schools examines the effects of the schools' family involvement program on children's learning; parent and teacher attitudes; school climate; and district, state, and federal policy. The report also examines the ways in which selected policies aid or obstruct school…

"America Goes Back to School" is a nationwide initiative to encourage and support family and community involvement in improving children's learning. The program's 1998 theme highlights year-round partnerships started or celebrated during the back-to-school months of August through October. This kit provides tools to help families and…

"America Goes Back to School" is a nationwide initiative to encourage and support family and community involvement in improving children's learning. This activity kit provides tools to help families and community members develop and become involved in partnerships to improve students' academic success. The kit's "organizer's…

This paper reports on a 50-state telephone survey on the development of family policies through implementation of Public Law 99-457 (Part H), the 1986 Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act with emphasis on policies regarding consent, confidentiality, access to records, and dispute resolution. The survey addressed questions of family…

Stressing that reading aloud to children is the single most important way to help children get ready to read and write, this brochure offers ideas for encouraging preschoolers to experiment with writing, for motivating school-age children to write more, and for involving the whole family in writing at home. The brochure also suggests ways to…

Efforts to solve intergenerational literacy must focus on the family as a unit. However, schools traditionally have a poor track record in dealing with minority/disadvantaged students and involving their parents. Studies have demonstrated the importance of family/community influence on children as well as the cultural and linguistic insensitivity…

Parental involvement in the educational process is examined as one of the elements that can raise academic achievement and allow schools to achieve success. The benefits of parental involvement are outlined, from those to students, such as improved academic performance, greater student motivation, and lower dropout rates, through those to parents…

Highlighting the impact of family and community involvement on student achievement, this videotape presents a satellite town meeting hosted by Secretary of Education, Richard Riley. The 60-minute video first notes the consensus in support of education, specifically higher standards, reasonable assessment, well-trained teachers, parent involvement,…

This study investigated the effects of a video-based training program on the quantity and quality of family involvement in special education, perceptions of both family members and educators concerning parental competence as team members, and family members' satisfaction with their own involvement, team processes, and decisions made by the team.…

Noting the need for early childhood programs to work as a team with parents and community members to benefit the children and families they serve, this videotape examines ways to foster partnerships between families and schools. The first part of the 22-minute video features conversations with educators and administrators of early childhood…

This guide is intended for school leaders acting to involve families in the education of their children. A common concern is the amount and kinds of family involvement that lead to a positive school climate and higher student achievement. To address this concern, strategies are outlined to help school leaders in deciding upon the kinds of family…

Describes a collaborative project between California State University, Los Angeles, and an urban elementary school that fostered conditions for parent involvement in the school and home-school cooperation. Workshops, English classes, and a parent mentor program were features of the successful effort. (SLD)

Business, community, and religious leaders are being urged to join families in providing greater support and participation in solving pressing problems in American education. Ways businesses can become more family friendly include offering flextime or job sharing to allow parents more flexibility with their children and building school-business…

This article considers the idea of culturally appropriate practice versus developmentally appropriate practice and discusses ways that early childhood educators can create a curriculum that considers the values and beliefs of an increasingly diverse student population. It is recommended that teachers rely on students' families for information on…

Explores issues of parent involvement in light of current educational reform movements, asserts that parent involvement as a voluntary effort may not be effective, and argues that businesses and industries interested in reform are not focusing sufficiently on work-related variables that might encourage involvement of parents and other adults. (SLD)