This excerpt from an address by the National PTA president to the PTA national convention (June 1992) examines PTA volunteers' responsibility to all children. Because fewer adults have direct ties to schools, those who are involved must help bring others into the picture. (SM)

Leaders from 28 organizations met to examine school-family-community collaboration and to look at successful school models. Groups developed lists of key roles for families, businesses, organizations, and government. They created a mission statement that called family involvement essential in every aspect of child development and education. (SM)

The best help parents can offer students with their homework is instituting a formal study program. Rather than assisting with reading, writing, and arithmetic, parents should spend more time teaching students to organize, budget time, plan ahead, concentrate, handle responsibility, and solve problems. (SM)

Discusses the importance of avoiding stereotypes and considering the many forms of families when talking about increasing parent involvement in the schools. The article provides information on families with children, single-parent families, blended families, family finances, and population changes. (SM)