A Family Geography Night (FGN) kit can be used to bring families together, teach about the world, give parents the opportunity to share their beliefs, and participate in the educational system while having fun! Geography is an essential element of twenty-first-century education. More than just maps, geography is the interaction of cultures,…

This paper describes an environmental education initiative called Starting out Wild (SoW) designed for toddlers and their caretakers. The program, developed by staff and volunteers of a city parks department, engages children ages 1-3 and their parents and caretakers through outdoor learning experiences. We suggest that environmental education…

Describes a reading program being used in Akron Public Schools in which students in Chapter 1 classes and their parents participate in paired reading on a daily basis to improve their child's reading ability and confidence. (MG)

This five-session research-based program trains parents in various skills through a series of experiential learning activities. An introductory chapter reviews the problem initiating the study, the purpose, importance, assumption, limitations, and plan of the study, along with a definition of terms. Next, a literature review examines materials…

This parent education curriculum manual, developed by the Parent Education program at North Seattle Community College, defines and describes the parent education program and presents program materials for use as a curriculum guide for instructors and for program participants. First, the parent education program is described and the educational…

For children from low-resource backgrounds, a literacy-rich preschool experience with a skilled and engaged teacher can offset risk factors and lay the groundwork for lifelong academic success. Now schools can ensure effective early literacy instruction with this field-tested, research-based curriculum for children 3 to 5 years of age. These 41…

The Jog America Read-A-Thon guide is one of the reading incentive strategies used in the Books and Beyond program which is designed to increase K-6 students' recreational reading and reduce their indiscriminate television viewing. The method used in this guide is to have students read books and move a running shoe marker on a large map of the…

Newspaper media provide one way to motivate students' parents to be in tune with the whys, the hows, the wherefores, and the importance of reading. For example, in the Phoenixville Area School District (Pennsylvania), the reading department writes a monthly column for parents in the local newspaper. The column's topics are based on data gathered…

Describes St. Maria Goretti School's Home/School-Read/Discuss program in which parent, teacher, and child sign a contract for leisure reading. Both parent and child read and discuss the selected books. Responsibilities of each participant are listed on the sample reading contract provided. (SJL)

A fourth-grade teacher explains how she began planning for retention possibilities as soon as the Fall achievement test results became available by notifying parents immediately, working with them throughout the school year to help their failing children, and involving them in the promotion/nonpromotion decision. (SJL)

Describes how the primary goal of the Parent Program was to constructively involve parents in their children's learning process. Notes how it gives them specific ideas and methods to assist their children in literacy acquisition. Hopes that the program will get materials in the homes that students might need while doing homework and get more…

Describes a parent volunteer tutoring program, called "Reading Together," that is run by members of the community, and that provides opportunities for kindergarten and pre-first-grade children to read and write in a playful environment. (SR)

This guide contains a minicourse based upon the content of "About the Middle School Years, Book 3" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. The minicourse has been designed to help students, with the involvement of their parents, to begin planning for their middle school education. Included in this guide is a sequential…

A "Books Home" program can be a powerful tool in helping beginning readers develop fluency and confidence in themselves as readers. Four first- and second-grade teachers describe how they set up a "Books Home" program in their classrooms as an important component of literacy instruction for emergent readers. This instructional resource describes…

The first in a series of books devoted to describing, explaining, and developing the criteria and philosophy of a career education program is intended to introduce the parents and teachers of American Indian children to the concepts of career education. The book focuses on the first phase of career education, learning to live. It includes a…