This pamphlet answers questions parents might have on various topics connected with the education of their children. The parent's right to visit schools and talk to teachers is discussed. The responsibilities of school councils, including Local School Councils and District Education Councils, are outlined. The procedure for appointing school…

Written questionnaires were completed by the teachers, principals, and students of those elementary schools participating in the 1970-71 seminars based on William Glasser's concept of Schools Without Failure. The questionnaires were designed primarily to determine what changes had occurred since the seminars began and whether or not the schools…

Presents the Verbal Interaction Analysis System (VIAS), a computer-based system designed to analyze verbal interactions, and describes application of the VIAS in analyzing family/professional interactions during the Individualized Family Service Plan process. The results of a pilot test of the VIAS found high interobserver reliability. (Author/CR)

Provides guidelines for educators to prepare for potentially difficult parent conferences and to conduct them to a successful conclusion. Suggestions include anticipating concerns, accentuating the positive, listening to parents, being truthful, being firm, being polite, offering solutions and assistance, asking for suggestions, admitting…

This article presents a perspective for viewing mediation in resolving conflicts between parents and school personnel about the education of handicapped students. The appropriateness of mediation as well as its limitations are discussed, as are current uses of mediation in special education and legal problems and issues arising from its use.…

Reviews "DEC Recommended Practices," a publication of the Division for Exceptional Children; "Empowering At-Risk Families during the Early Childhood Years" (Swick and Groves); "Developing Home-School Partnerships" (Swap); "Parent-Teacher Conferencing in Early Childhood Education" (Lawler); and the video…

This article proposes criteria for selecting Spanish-speaking interpreters for communicating with families of students being considered for special education placement. It discusses responsibilities of interpreters, potential problems in using interpreters, and elements of a management system and training program for interpreters and school…

Each month, "Curriculum Review" offers teachers mutual support, the sharing of ideas, and words of encouragement to help them face challenges in the classroom. The May 2004 issue of "Curriculum Review" contains the following articles: (1) "Inspiring Words for Educators"; (2) "We Hear from Readers"; (3) "Last Month in Education"; (4) "What They're…

This handbook, written by the principal of an urban elementary school that serves a diverse student population in a low socioeconomic area, offers strategies for principals who wish to increase parent involvement in their schools. Chapter 1 presents a brief history of parent involvement in American public schools over the past 60 years. The next…

This bilingual document stresses the importance of migrant parents being involved in their children's education and discusses ways for parents to help their children succeed in school. It provides information about migrant education and the various programs available for migrant children. The document covers the following topics: (1) important…

This brief presents national statistics to determine reasons for school personnel contacting parents of 12th-grade students. Data are from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988, conducted by the United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Parents of 12th-grade students reported they were more…

Parent opinions about standardized tests and performance assessments were examined systematically. Mutually exclusive but randomly equivalent stratified samples from schools participating in a study of performance assessment and control schools were used to measure change in parent opinion over time. Approximately one-third of parents (n=105)…

In at least one Oregon school system, student-led conferences have begun to replace traditional report cards. When conferences are well done, parents believe they have learned more about their child's learning and progress than they would through a traditional report card. There is an important additional benefit in that students can rise to the…

Teachers often feel intimidated or defenseless when dealing with issues of concern and conflict during parent-teacher conferences. Teachers have indicated a need for: (1) training in effective conferencing skills; and (2) learning to approach parents as cooperative individuals willing to participate in the total educational process of their…

Parents of children attending a K-3 elementary school in New Mexico were surveyed by mail to examine Mexican-American and Anglo-American parental involvement in the school. Of 264 parents contacted, 24 Anglo-Americans, 19 Mexican-Americans, 1 African-American, and 6 individuals who did not identify their ethnic affiliation completed a…