Noting that the benefits of student-led conferences align well with practices recognized as developmentally appropriate for the middle school years, this book provides a step-by-step guide to implementing student-led conferences at the middle school level. The chapters are: (1) "Setting the Stage," presenting the rationale for student-led…

This manual, accompanied by a 22-minute videotape recording, provides information for constructing an Individualized Transition Plan as a component of Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings for secondary students with disabilities. The video, based on an actual IEP meeting with a student and his parents, illustrates a meeting that focuses…

This book focuses on how to meet the challenges of education in a pluralistic society, presenting the Bridging Cultures framework, which is designed for understanding differences and conflicts that arise in situations where school culture is more individualistic than the home value system. Six sections examine: (1) "The Bridging Cultures…

This book provides a practical approach to using and developing performance assessments. There are 13 chapters: (1) "Determining Goals, Targets, and Objectives" (what students should be able to do as a result of being in the class); (2) "How Will Assessment Be Used?" (how assessment can help or hinder the instructional process…

Five articles discussing communications in vocational education include "The Golden Rule of Administration" by Ben Mortensen; "Vital Link with Parents" by Richard Sullivan; "An Interpersonal Exercise" by John Villiers; "Face to Face with Employers" by Gregg Bosak; and "Recruitment Strategies" by Susan Miller. (SK)

Under general guidelines, each teacher at Angier School designs his/her own system for pupil evaluation, including anecdotal reports and parent conferences. This article describes the school's pupil evaluation policy and the workshops on observation and behavior description that were conducted to help teachers implement the system. (SJL)

Compared traditional parent-teacher conferences with an alternative collaborative model that includes students (family-school conferences) in a suburban elementary school. Found that teachers and parents valued traditional conferences as opportunities for information exchange, but both groups reported anxiety that may interfere with communication.…

The author presents a worksheet designed for use in parent-teacher conferences, specifically those dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder. The worksheet was developed in response to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and is designed as a simple measure to provide parents with a way to document their children's needs. (KW)

Partnerships between teachers and parents provide benefits for children's education. Suggested methods by which teachers can establish communications with parents include telephone conferences, printed communications, encouragement of parental visits, developmental checklists sent home, parent-teacher conferences, home visits, and workshops for…

Describes how some middle school teachers in Michigan are becoming proactive in their work to educate and reach out to parents on a day-to-day basis. Describes strategies for community building, for informing parents, and for involving parents. The teachers use these strategies as they inform parents about pedagogical practices and explain why…

Draws on practices of elementary and middle schools in Washington and Oregon to demonstrate the benefits of student-led parent conferences. Discusses parent, teacher, and student attitudes toward student-directed conferences; student portfolios, projects, and presentations; one school's fall goal-setting process that sets the stage for student…

The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. The following papers are included in the 2013 proceedings: (1) Teaching About Asia in a Social Science Education Program (Cyndi Mottola Poole and Joshua L. Kenna); (2) Teaching Students about…

This practicum was designed to improve parent participation in the educational process of 17 mildly disabled students in a rural secondary school by actively encouraging the parents to participate in academic conferences, special education reviews, and special education staffings. The major goal was to positively involve parents in the educational…

More and more, schools are looking to student portfolios as a valid, reliable, and authentic form of assessment. This collection offers practical, well-researched answers to a variety of philosophical, organizational, and implementational questions surrounding portfolio assessment. Articles in the first section provide a rationale for student…

This study was designed to assess, on a national basis, what education and training preservice elementary education teachers receive on the topic of home-school communication, especially in the area of parent-teacher conferencing, and to determine if there were significant differences between teacher education programs in how they prepare…