Argues that race is neither purely ideological nor purely essential, but grounded in sociohistorical ideologies and performances. The author uses this conceptualization to interpret student-teacher practice and to ground her own teacher-education practice. Discusses breaking down the individual/society dualism, meanings of race in one local…

Explains that the purpose of parent-teacher conferences is to communicate the student's progress to the parents. Provides guidelines for a successful conference, including holding the conference in an open area and using a conversational communication style, avoiding educational jargon. Includes a sample student progress report. (CMK)

Courtesy of new technologies, such as student information systems (SIS), districts are opening new channels of communication, giving parents anytime Internet access to information they need to track their child's progress--and affording them the opportunity to make a tremendous impact on their child's learning growth. Take what is happening at…

A study was conducted to determine what methods of student evaluation parents felt were most effective in helping them assist in their child's efforts to develop skills and understand their child's performance in school. A survey was conducted among 168 parents in central Virginia, including parents of kindergarten through fourth grade students in…

This report describes a project that sought to ascertain the educational expectations and actual levels of participation by Black, low to low-middle income parents of 36 regular and special education students entering three Baltimore (Maryland) public schools. The parents' initial expectations and the development of these expectations over the…

This booklet provides guidelines to help teachers better understand the importance of forming alliances with the primary caregivers (birth parents, adoptive parents, step parents, foster parents, or guardians) of the children whom they teach. Specific recommendations are offered concerning the following factors: conferences in the home, in school,…

A survey was conducted of 50 school districts in the seven state region (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) to determine the types of support available to parents of children with disabilities and their satisfaction with these supports. Responses of 3,558 parents and guardians (11.9% of total sample) in 41 school…

Because family and school represent the primary environments in which young children grow and develop, it is important to build and maintain strong parent participation in preschool education. Teachers can plan parent participation strategies to give equal consideration to the needs of all families represented in a class. Teachers can plan for…

A study examined the relationship between the attendance of parents of low-achieving students at scheduled school meetings and conferences and student performance in reading and language arts. Data were gathered from 73 Chapter 1 schools in the Dallas Independent School District. Variables used were the performance of Chapter 1 students in reading…

This practicum was designed to provide an assessment instrument that would serve as an alternative method of documenting the progress of kindergarten students. The portfolio approach to assessment of student progress was implemented in a kindergarten class and applied as an ongoing process. During a 12-week period, teacher and student selected…

A study was conducted in a day care setting to assess whether differences in the intellectual and social competence scores of young children were reflected in the communicative behavior occurring between the children's mothers and caregivers. A total of forty-seven 2- to 4-year-old children in day care and their mothers participated. Two…

This guide, written by Marcia Burchby, Ralph Martin, and George Wood, for improving relations between teachers and parents emphasizes that the onus of bringing about better relations and clearer lines of communication falls upon the teacher. In the first part, six key questions offer guidelines for introspective examination on the part of the…

Intended for state and local school personnel, the handbook is designed to assist in developing notification procedures that comply with the procedural safeguards requirements of special education law and in meeting the informational needs of parents. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the due process provisions of P.L. 94-142 (the Education for…

The purpose of this manual is to assist parents in developing better home-school relationships. The ten chapters deal with various aspects of those relationships, including the following: (1) the need for parents and teachers to work together, (2) productive parent-teacher conferences, (3) parent and teacher expectations of each other, (4) the…

Teachers and administrators are often at a loss as to where they should turn for practical, down-to-earth assistance in the area of parent conferencing. The counselor is in a position to provide such assistance, and several strategies are presented which are available to this mental health specialist. The counselor is provided with a working…