With the growing understanding of the importance of early childhood, leaders in many communities are looking for concrete ideas about how to improve the lives of young children and their families in their communities. They are looking for information and guidance about where to put their resources and energy, how to implement effective programs…

This "In Brief" edition provides highlights from the "Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders, Second Edition." It presents the updated prevention principles, an overview of program planning, and critical first steps for those learning about prevention. Thus, this…

In 1997, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) published the first edition of "Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide" to share the latest NIDA-funded prevention research findings with parents, educators, and community leaders. The guide introduced the concept of "research-based prevention" with questions…

The aim of this handbook is to help school improvement groups, parent advisory committees, administrators, and teachers plan for parent participation in their schools. The handbook contains information on the reasons for parent involvement and ideas and strategies various communities have used. Section I provides background information on parent…

This paper provides a brief review of the issues regarding families in early intervention programs for handicapped children and proposes the assessment of family needs as a first step in designing family-focused interventions. While traditional approaches to early intervention tend to be exclusively child-focused, professionals are encouraged to…

The items in this book were drawn from a symposium intended to (1) recommend priorities in national educational policy relating to reading; (2) focus attention on the essential role of an active two-way, family-school partnership in encouraging reading as a lifetime habit; and (3) help various organizations concerned with literacy and reading…

One of the best guarantees of a child's success in school is his or her parents' involvement in education. This resource guide provides information in the following areas: (1) family types; (2) expectations of parents, teachers, and administrators; (3) barriers encountered by parents and teachers; (4) home environment improvements through family…

This package was developed through the outreach activities of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools), which developed an early childhood transition model to facilitate the development of state and community-wide systems for transition. The package covers four major component areas of transition: interagency…

This guide aims to provide a practical and comprehensive overview for United Kingdom parents and professionals wanting to support family learning at any level--community, local, regional, or national. Part 1 sets out the case for family learning today. Chapter 1 defines family learning and explains the fundamental principles underpinning it.…