The "Guidelines for Effective Practice" series was begun in 1991 to meet the need for better definition and articulation of what constitutes best practice in family support programs. This guide, the first issue of the series, focuses on the importance and necessity of linkages between family support and early childhood programs. Chapter…

This technical assistance manual describes school-based outreach strategies that involve parents in preparing youth with special needs for postschool jobs and independence. A model of preventive education is featured which stresses that postschool problems of unemployment and community adjustment can be anticipated and can, therefore, be treated…

The Family Learning Project, a family literacy program, focused on providing Centre County, Pennsylvania, families with basic skills instruction within the context of family learning. Parents, working with specially trained family literacy tutors, received basic skills instruction tailored to their individual and family needs. Using the functional…

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…

This chapter is part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the dual-language ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District and…

A study of 13 Canadian families investigated the effectiveness of a model of family reunification which had foster parents act as parent aides. Results indicate that although the treatment model has excellent potential with less at-risk families, it could not meet the treatment needs of the majority of families. (Author/CR)

This report describes Minnesota's thirteen Council on Quality Education (CQE) Early Childhood/Family Education programs from the perspective of external evaluation researchers. Data were obtained from personal on-site interviews with 40 program staff members; personal interviews with 40 local program Advisory Board participants and local school…

This document is the report of a policy forum on interim alternative educational settings for students with disabilities involved in disciplinary actions. The report summarizes outcomes of discussions on the following topics: (1) purpose and goals of the interim alternative educational setting; (2) components of interim alternative educational…

This report discusses the outcomes of the Partnerships for Rural Resource Teams Project, a project designed to build upon the foundation of services for children and youth with deaf-blindness in Montana. Grounded in a framework that draws upon the principles of collaborative teamwork, contextually-based technical assistance, family involvement,…

The Families Matter series of papers from the Harvard Family Research Project advances the concept of family-centered child care, advocating an approach to early childhood education that addresses the development of the child and family together. Grounded in family support principles, which build on family strengths and work from a community's…

Criticizes recent educational and sociological literature for its optimistic assessment of family-school programs. Maintains that these studies fail to address observable differences in parents' educational skills, occupational and economic flexibility, social networks, and positions of power. Illustrates these problems with examples from an…

The multidimensional evaluation of a school project, part of an expanding system of school-linked services or "full-service" schools, is reported. Quantitative and qualitative results are presented. Discussion includes program effectiveness, social workers as mediators between home and school, and the effects of culture and immigration…

Early Head Start services are typically offered through home- or center-based delivery models. A formative evaluation of an example of each service delivery model was conducted. The purpose was to examine the issues involved in the implementation of these two service delivery models relative to the content of services, intensity of services,…

This report highlights the progress of the 15 statewide family advocacy projects funded by the Center for Mental Health Services of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration during the 1993 fiscal year. Section 1 provides an historical background and a summary of the interim report. A qualitative description of the…

This report presents the results of a 2-year collaborative effort by the Illinois State Board of Education and 2 independent evaluators to assess early childhood programs in various sites throughout Illinois, and to provide models for other schools or community programs developing and expanding services for young children. The evaluation…