Noting that research has shown that the more extensive the parent involvement, the higher the student achievement, this Digest discusses standards for parent/family involvement and describes online resources that can help parents and educators attain those standards. It discusses existing national standards for family involvement programs and…

Ten papers address topics in career education for students with behavior disorders. W. Morse points out "Problems and Promises," including problems with the definition and scope of career education and the needs for individualization and support systems. C. Kokaska and L. Cook in "Concepts and Definitions" offer insight on problems in defining…

Presents a variety of parent programs, projects, and activities that have been successful in involving parents in their adolescents' reading and reading achievement. (HOD)

The primary purpose of this handbook is to provide the parent coordinator of the parent-powered family resource center with a specific guide for the development of a center. The handbook considers that a family resource center should exist to encourage family-school partnerships and to help strengthen parent-child interaction--it provides a…

This digest discusses issues related to the implementation of high quality early childhood education by public school districts. Contents focus on: (1) the development of a written statement of philosophy; (2) the analysis of screening and assessment practices; (3) organization of the learning environment; (4) teacher preparation; (5) parent…

This digest describes parents' role in student learning, school-based parent training programs, building parent programs, using home computers, and school counselors' role in student achievement. (NRB)

This paper provides a detailed overview of the preschool education system in Queensland, Australia, from the perspective of one of the original designers of that program. The first section of the paper describes the social, political and general educational contexts within which the Queensland preschool system was developed. Steps in state level…

One way to involve parents in their children's education is to create a parent center in or near the school. In an informal setting, parents can meet other parents and their children's teachers to plan activities and exchange information. The center should be in an accessible location and open when parents are most likely to visit, such as early…

This digest describes the creation and operation of after school programs for poor urban students. Schools often sponsor such programs and find the advantages to be the credibility lent by the school, continuity of care, and easy access to resources. Some of the disadvantages to school sponsorship are higher personnel costs, the possibility of…

This digest is adapted from Linda Cohen's publication, "Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Minority Language Students." It explores the controversy surrounding the underrepresentation of minority language students in gifted and talented programs and makes recommendations for more suitable assessment techniques and program models.…

Over the last two decades, there has been a growing body of research evidence suggesting important benefits to be gained by elementary-age schoolchildren when their parents provide support, encouragement, and direct instruction in the home and school and maintain good communication with the school and related organizations. Involvement is often a…

The purpose of this publication is to focus on issues in development and implementation of comprehensive guidance programs. To achieve this purpose a list of 10 of the most important issues was composed. The top 10 issues, in order of frequency of concern of leaders, are: (1) displacement of non-guidance tasks, including school counselors'…

There are ways in which elementary teachers in general and rural elementary teachers in particular can overcome inadequate science preparation and can upgrade the science program resources of their small schools. Parents and children should be involved in obtaining free and inexpensive science-related materials throughout the year. These can be…