This book helps teachers gain confidence and build sensitivity when interacting with caregivers and families who speak different languages and may come from different cultural, racial, and social backgrounds. By presenting various scenarios, the authors invite readers to reflect on issues they will face as practicing teachers in classrooms and…

This PhD research project involved working with parents, teachers, and children in two nursery classes. I was interested in finding out how individuals perceived the idea of parental involvement in their children's nursery education, with a view to improving practice in this area. In carrying out the research, I had to think carefully about…

"How to Handle Difficult Parents" is a funny, but practical, guide to working effectively with parents and avoiding unnecessary conflict. Whether you're a teacher (regular or special education) or a coach, this book will give you practical suggestions regarding what to say and how to say it to parents who question your lesson plans, challenge your…

It's troubling that while schools are getting more Latino students, including English learners, these students are more likely to perform below grade level and eventually drop out. So this book proposes that educators everywhere do a better job of developing home-to-school partnerships based on meaningful relationships with Latino parents. Relying…

This guide presents information and clinical tools to implement the Anger Coping Program, an empirically supported intervention for students in grades 3-6. Practitioners are taken step by step through setting up treatment groups, teaching vital skills for reducing aggression and disruptive behavior, and building strong partnerships with teachers…

In this book, parents will find ways to help teachers nurture important emerging math skills, from sorting and division of materials to early counting. Basic ideas and tools, including classroom-tested activities, will help support their child's math learning, both at home and in child care. Following an introduction, the book contains three…

Some teachers are sick of struggling with parents of children in their care? They dread upcoming conferences, and with they knew how to approach a difficult. This book will help turn parent worries into warm, confident relationships. The reader will learn how to: (1) Improve parent-teacher communication; (2) Better understand a parent's…

Teachers can help parents foster emerging literacy skills in their preschool children in a way that is developmentally appropriate and fun: by collaborating to develop their child's lifelong love of reading and writing. Incorporating selected teacher-tested activities from the popular book "More Than Letters," this accessible guide…

This book looks at parent-professional-child relations very differently than other books in this area. Author Dana McDermott focuses on parents and teachers as adult learners who should be growing and learning along with the children in their care. Accessibly written, the book synthesizes the latest theories and research on parent-and adult-child…

This book is designed for parents who have trouble understanding their school-aged children's grades, report cards, and test scores. It helps them make sense of school reports and offers resources to open communications between parents and teachers. The seven chapters focus on: (1) "Getting Started" (e.g., what grading and reporting mean, whether…

Parents are a vital source of support for our schools. School personnel interact with parents on a daily basis and fortunately, most of these interactions are pleasant and helpful, keeping students' needs in mind. Instances of parental aggression, however, do occur. Volatile or confrontational parents present many unique challenges for educators…

Research confirms that reading success starts with young children enjoying library storytimes! Preschoolers' earliest experiences with books and reading are important; parent/caregiver knowledge can build on those experiences, according to research from the National Institute of Child Health & Development, conducted with PLA and ALSC, the…

This book discusses parent-school cooperation, suggesting that parent stories are an effective tool for accessing knowledge to benefit parent-teacher relationships. The book defines stories as narratives gained from open-ended conversations and/or interviews, where parents answer questions that illuminate traditional and nontraditional early…

This guide presents a series of scenarios that encapsulate the legal, philosophical, and common sense challenges faced by middle and high school teachers every day. Each scenario includes the vignette, the topical problem areas into which it falls, four possible solutions, space for the readers to state what they would do in each situation, and…

Offering a window to the public and private world of the classroom, this book explores the emotions, attitudes, and experiences that children and teachers bring to school. The book first discusses values, noting that ownership confers value to experience. The book also examines the importance of teachers identifying the needs behind children's…