Describes a 10-point parent teacher conference checklist to help create a positive environment and enhance communications. Includes discussion of following topics: invitation techniques, pleasant encounters, pertinent information, positive interaction, preparation activities, good communication, participation and involvement, planning for the…

Investigates moral issues in delivering good and bad news, examining episodes of good and bad news in ordinary conversation and in institutional settings, then describing an interaction between a teacher and a parent. As the parent blames the teacher for the student's poor performance, and the teacher delicately notes the student's need to mature,…

Presents tips to help parents prepare for effective parent- teacher conferences, including: starting off on the right foot by establishing rapport with the teacher, including the student in the meeting, addressing problems, and following up. A sidebar discusses questions parents should ask in the meeting to determine how their students are doing…

The introduction of the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment's (SOMPA's) Sociocultural Scales potentially enables psychologists to more formally acquire and use information about sociocultural characteristics within children's families. However, until now, data on the Scale's stability have not been available. This paper reports the…

This paper describes the positive effects of the Parent Program of the University of Oregon Follow Through Program. Section I illustrates the positive effects of parent involvement in two case histories of parents' political activism directed at securing and maintaining quality education for their children. Section II focuses on parents'…

The Perry Preschool Project assessed longitudinal effects of a 2-year program consisting of a daily 3-hour cognitively oriented nursery, a weekly 90-minute home visit, and less frequent group meetings of the pupils' parents. Subjects consisted of 3- and 4-year-old Negro disadvantaged and functionally retarded children, whose pretest scores on the…

Topics include the role of the family in the development and growth of the mentally handicapped (MH) child, the psychological impact of the MH child on the family, parental attitudes, and the need for guidance and counseling of parents of MH children. Also of concern are the agency framework, the goals aimed at by the group guidance program, the…

This report summarizes Year One and Year Two study findings and describes findings from Year Three of the assessment of school readiness with a strategic sample of children entering kindergarten in fall 2004. It is the intent of the Minnesota School Readiness Studies to use results to inform school administrators and teachers; parents; early…

Because traditional parent-teacher conferences exclude the student from the process, this model does little to facilitate dialogue between parent and child or to recognize the need for students to assume greater control of their academic progress. Student-led conferences are a positive alternative to the traditional middle level parent-teacher…

Recognizing the critical importance of parent involvement in early education, this textbook presents a variety of strategies and techniques for parent involvement in early childhood education programs. Chapters in the first part of the book focus on specific issues and challenges in implementing parent involvement. Chapter 1 examines the need for…

Much discussion in educational circles centers on such issues as assessment, student performance, parent conferences, and related topics. The 1996 Yearbook provides information about and examples of outstanding assessment reporting systems in use in the United States and Canada. The following contributions are included: (1) "Introduction" (Thomas…

This paper describes a practicum designed to increase parent and business involvement in the educational experiences of students in grades 4-7 at a rural school in the southeastern United States. Teacher surveys and other data indicated that the students had very little experience or understanding of the business world in which they eventually…

The focus of this paper is on the immediate and long-range advantages of parent involvement, the definitions and implications of varying levels of parent involvement in child care center operations, and the general means by which a chosen level of involvement might be achieved. The advantages of parent involvement are discussed briefly in terms of…

A typology of teacher encounters was derived from observations of elementary school teachers for the purposes of ordering field data and indicating teaching experiences outside the classroom which affect, through sociocultural forces, classroom teaching behavior. From observations of teacher encounters in the auditorium, faculty room, school…