Teachers must learn to navigate an increasingly polluted ocean of educational hype. During his second year of teaching English, the author was handed a compass. Discussing her underachieving daughter, a black mother advised this teacher to drop the "relevant" units on gangs and give her daughter everything he knew (about Shakespeare and…

Describes program in which elementary school students lead parent-teacher conferences, shares authors' experiences with the student-led conferences, and discusses how the process has fostered student responsibility. Describes results of informal study that support the student-led conference. (NB)

Although time does not permit in-depth interaction with all parents, educators should work with parents of "target" children for whom ongoing communications may be the difference between success and failure. Contacting these parents early in students' school life and school year will help tackle problems before they escalate. (MLH)

At a Rhode Island elementary school, portfolio sharing night provides a way for students to share their classwork with parents in a relaxed, informative setting. Parents see works in progress and completed samples and hear the children explain their work. This format has helped improve public relations and communication with parents and encouraged…

In this article, the author shares how she turned once-dreaded parent-teacher conferences into valuable assessments, evaluations, and action plans using the fourth-generation evaluation method. Fourth-generation evaluation has three main components. First, it includes a multitude of assessment tools. Second, it involves stakeholders in the…

This book presents a teacher's responses to various real questions asked by student teachers and beginning teachers. The nine chapters are: (1) "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing: Teacher Attitude"; (2) "Who, What, When, Where, and Why, Oh Why, Me?: Organization"; (3) "A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Quiz Tomorrow: Delivery…

School administrators are often involved in change processes that include gathering input from various stakeholders in their organizations to help in decision making. They usually include other administrators, teachers, board members, and sometimes individuals from the business sector. One group that is often excluded, and is perhaps one of their…

WRITTEN FOR SPEECH PATHOLOGY STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONAL WORKERS, THE BOOK BEGINS BY DEFINING LANGUAGE AND SPEECH AND TRACING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE FROM THE INFANT THROUGH THE 4-YEAR OLD. CAUSAL FACTORS OF DELAYED DEVELOPMENT ARE GIVEN, INCLUDING CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IMPAIRMENT AND ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORAL CLUES AND LANGUAGE…

A kindergarten teacher implemented and evaluated a practicum intervention designed to improve an elementary school's communication with parents concerning its transitional kindergarten program. Implementation occurred over 10 weeks and involved the formation of a committee to approve the plan of action; meetings with seven kindergarten teachers to…

Parent conferencing is a way to dramatically improve home/school relationships. Parent conferences, at their very best, provide the teacher with useful information about individual students. More importantly, however, they create a parent/teacher team atmosphere, with each member contributing his or her knowledge and experience for the benefit of…

Offers general suggestions for enhancing the productivity of preschool parent-teacher conferences. These suggestions include the gathering of pertinent data on the child, the establishment of a congenial atmosphere, and the recording of results. (ED)

The parent-teacher conference is widely endorsed as an effective method of reporting pupil progress. They are particularly valuable because the conferences provide an opportunity for two-way communication about students. The understanding gained in a conference can help the school and home work together to bring out the maximum in a student.…

This leaflet, developed by the Division of Planning and Research, Los Angeles City Schools, recognizes the need for better communication between schools and parents and pupils, particularly in the area of reporting pupil progress. The guide points out some of the ways in which parents, pupils and teachers can work together to assist children.…

MORE THAN 100 CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE INVOLVED PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND COUNSELORS IN PLANNING CONFERENCES WHERE TEST SCORES ARE INTERPRETED, FUTURE EDUCATION AND CAREER PLANS IN RELATION TO THE STUDENT'S ABILITY ARE DISCUSSED, AND, IN SOME CASES, THE SCHOOL'S COURSE OFFERINGS ARE EXPLAINED. ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN HIGH AND THE RESULTS SEEM TO…