Conflicting perspectives on the parent's role in the infant/toddler classroom can play a significant role in early educational settings. A recent ethnographic study of an Early Head Start program in New York City focused on conflict of this nature and raised the following set of questions: What sort of power and privilege should parents be given…

Middle school transitions can cause a decline in academic achievement and motivation in learning for many students. Low income underrepresented students are especially vulnerable to this transition. Parental involvement also tends to decrease during the middle school years. This qualitative study examined the elementary to middle school transition…

By necessity, today's teachers do much more than deliver instruction. In the classroom, on the playground, or even in the parking lot, teachers are often called upon to respond quickly and appropriately to students' social and emotional needs, drawing from instinct more than anything else. In this second edition of "Counseling Skills for…

We study the benefits of junior kindergarten for linguistic-minority 4-year-olds compared to their linguistic-majority classmates from the same low-income neighborhoods. At the end of the school year, linguistic-minority children made significantly greater improvements in language skills than their host society classmates. At the mid-year point,…

Parents of 209 children (162 males and 46 females) with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome or learning disabilities ranging in age from 4 to 21 years were surveyed about their perceptions of the education of their children. Items on the survey were categorized into 7 areas: school personnel's knowledge about the disability, best practices,…

This practicum was designed to help children in an early childhood community center understand themselves and others as being unique, and having worth and dignity. It was intended that parents and teachers would develop a partnership and work in a collaborative manner on behalf of the children. Surveys of participating parents and teachers…

A study evaluated the effects of an innovative parent involvement model. Nine school systems in Indiana were selected by the funding agency to use the Transparent School Model, which uses computer-based voice messaging technology to allow teachers and parents to exchange information with the efficiency and convenience of time displacement. At the…

This study examined kindergarten teachers' perceptions of the impact of changes in group-size policy on 3- and 4-year-old children in New Zealand's Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association. Data were collected through a series of interviews of Wellington kindergarten teachers from 54 kindergartens and focused mainly on the perceived effects…

Parents whose children were experiencing behavioral problems at a southwestern U.S. elementary school were at a loss as to how to effectively manage their children's behavior both in and out of home. The effect of a lack of discipline transcended into the classroom which ultimately disrupted the learning environment. This practicum created a…

This book is designed to provide a conceptual and practical guide for teaching children with autism in a way that will maximize their developmental potential. The 12 chapters are: (1) "Emerging Interventions for Children with Autism: Longitudinal and Lifestyle Implications" (Robert L. Koegel and others); (2) "Communication and Language…

This paper examines two successful cases of home-school virtuous cycles of interaction using the concept of intersubjectivity to explore parent-school partnerships established between families and inner-city school staff who differed in cultural background. It reveals that in both cases high degrees of parent involvement in school occurred despite…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parent efficacy, teacher efficacy, and parental involvement in selected school activities at Frayser Elementary School, a professional development school, in Memphis (Tennessee) and to present those results in the context of data from eight other schools. Questionnaires and…

The involvement of parents in schools has been legislated in Spain since 1970, with the main activities being parents associations and school councils, but these partnerships do not represent a particularly friendly situation. A research project was carried out through the University of Oviedo, Spain, Department of Education, to create a mechanism…

The preschool teacher is in the unique position of being able to identify children who have developed language and speech problems during their early years. This paper is a detailed resource for preschool teachers on hearing and speech problems. Its purpose is two-fold: to emphasize the important role the preschool teacher plays in the lives of…

Recognizing that a child's family is his or her first and most important teacher, this technical assistance paper stresses the importance of preschool teachers involving the family in the development of the child. It examines the fundamental principles that guide the creation of a partnership with parents and some of the objectives of building the…