The state of the arts paper on completed and ongoing research in parent education is based on a review of the literature of recent studies, including current federally funded research on mainstream and economically deprived families, but not studies dealing with the physically handicapped, retarded, psychotic, or foster children. The projects are divided into three major classifications. Omnibus Programs, the first, provide more than one pattern of service to children and families and aim their enrichment efforts simultaneously to the infants and the parents. They include the evaluations of Head Start, the Parent-Child Centers, and Follow-Through. The second classification, Parent-Oriented Programs, is divided into the following categories: home teaching, use of mass media for parent education, training parents through group discussion techniques, parent education in pediatric and health facilities, training adolescents for parenthood, and parents as staff. Child-Oriented Programs with a parent component include: training parents in cognitive intervention techniques, training parents in behavior modification techniques, programs to increase parent-school cooperation and communication, and parent involvement in decision-making positions in programs affecting their children. (LH)