A growing body of evidence suggests that family engagement matters for student success. Research shows that family engagement improves school readiness, student achievement, and social skills. Furthermore, an increasing number of innovative approaches to education leverage and connect the many settings and times in which children learn and grow to…

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)

This paper provides suggestions to alleviate the tension, fear, and frustration which may accompany parent-teacher conferences, in order to make them more effective. Tips for parents and tips for teachers are both presented in a checklist format. The tips focus on three typical areas of concern--planning, implementation, and evaluating the…

Suggestions for special education teachers preparing for parent-teacher conferences include: preparing a folder showing students' tests, assignments, and progress; and encouraging a two-way dialogue by providing a supportive environment. Suggestions for parents include being responsive and receptive to teachers' suggestions and asking for…

Noting that involved parents can improve their children's chances of succeeding in school, this packet of cards offers 100 tips created to help parents become more involved in their child's education. Following a card of general tips on becoming involved, tips are offered in the following topic areas: helping a child stay alcohol, tobacco, and…

Noting that involved parents can improve their children's chances of succeeding in school, this packet of Spanish-language cards offers 100 tips created to help parents become more involved in their child's education. Following a card of general tips on becoming involved, tips are offered in the following topic areas: keeping a child alcohol,…

This digest highlights one tool that teachers use--standardized tests--from the parent's viewpoint. The discussion covers basic features of testing and suggests questions that a parent might ask his or her child's teacher concerning such tests. Standardized tests are usually objective tests sold by commercial publishers and designed to provide a…

This paper provides Indian parents of children with disabilities with information from the Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs Project concerning communication between Indian parents and non-Indian service providers. Five basic strategies for effective communication are reviewed: (1) when you do not understand, ask for…

This handbook, written by the principal of an urban elementary school that serves a diverse student population in a low socioeconomic area, offers strategies for principals who wish to increase parent involvement in their schools. Chapter 1 presents a brief history of parent involvement in American public schools over the past 60 years. The next…

This booklet, printed in both English and Spanish, offers suggestions to parents for getting the most out of a visit to their children's schools during New York City's Open School Week. It is comprised of five sections. The first section, "The Parent/Teacher Conference," discusses the following areas: (1) questions and concerns to…

The four essays in this collection provide guidelines for parents and teachers in educating children. The first essay, "Parents, the Pupil, and the School Curriculum," describes selected ways parents may help pupils to achieve in the school curriculum. "Objectives of the School, the Pupil, and Parents" discusses the need for teachers to plan…

This compendium provides 73 programmatic approaches for involving parents in their children's education. These strategies demonstrate the broad range of ways in which principals and teachers communicate with parents and work to help them support their children's learning. The strategies are organized into six categories. The first is home-school…

This guide is a set of materials developed for use in adult education settings such as English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, community-based organizations, and parent groups for the purpose of helping immigrant parents see themselves as active participants in their children's learning. These materials are intended to meet the following…

Written for American Indian parents, this fact sheet offers basic suggestions for building good parent-school relationships and helping children succeed in school. The first issue addressed is the education of children before they start to school, and the emphasis is on developing pride, self-confidence, and a desire to learn and do new things.…

Parents can play a key role in attaining the United States' National Education Goals, a main component of which is that all children will be ready to learn when they enter school. This guide for parents provides basic information on factors related to school success and a series of activities that parents can do with their children, ages 5 through…