The purpose of this article is to describe an approach that early educators can use to develop meaningful partnerships with families. Specifically, the authors describe their efforts to support teachers in developing home-school connections through a series of Family Projects that strengthened family-child relationships and created opportunities…

Shared experiences through school-hosted events, such as family literacy events, can afford opportunities to support and extend academic learning while fostering positive home-school relationships. This article describes the importance of developing primary-grade students' literacy skills through a talent development lens and explains several ways…

The paper begins with a challenge, namely: How do we work with families and communities to co-create the next generation of family and community engagement, providing equitable learning pathways--both in and out of school and from birth to young adulthood--that will enable all children to be successful in the 21st century? Exploring what it takes…

Parents from culturally diverse backgrounds need to feel that they play a vital role in the future success of their sons or daughters with disabilities. Differences in culture and ethnicity can affect families' involvement in transition planning and the goals that they emphasize for their children. Families of diverse backgrounds were surveyed and…

Describes a successful effort to develop services for ex-offenders and their children and families that enhance community integration, build social support networks, and assist community institutions in mobilizing services for this population. Considers program components, the development of the program through a school of social work, and…

The Kennedy Children's Room and Family Center Program was developed by the joint endeavors of faculty from West Virginia University and personnel at the Kennedy Center Federal Correctional Institution, Morgantown, West Virginia. Goals are (1) to develop and implement a model training program which focuses on fostering and enhancing effective…

The Government is urging teachers to engage more closely with families and is promoting the concept of the "extended" school. This article reports on the literacy strand of the Home School Knowledge Exchange (HSKE) project, directed by Professor Martin Hughes at the University of Bristol. A selection of literacy activities developed…

This publication includes six action papers presented at the Denver, Colorado, seminar on June 5-7, 1978. Three disability categories highlighted in the seminar are the topics of the papers: cancer, cardiac illness, and epilepsy. There are two papers devoted to each category of disability, one focusing on action for eliminating barriers to…

Analyzed data from a 1996 end-of-the-year survey that updated information on schools in the National Network of Partnership Schools, which was designed to build comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships. Results indicated that five ingredients were crucial for partnership success: active and supportive action teams,…

Emphasizes the critical role of parental input into design and implementation of family involvement programs. Discusses what parents consider meaningful family involvement, which can constitute the foundation for program development. Suggests ways to maintain a parent focus in program decisions. (BAC)

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…

Because schools, communities, and families play interconnected roles in the crucial mission of educating children, they must find ways to work together as educational partners. Providing parents with information and resources to support their children's education is a cornerstone of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This sourcebook is based on…

The project "Together We Can" is described in this final report as a program to provide training and technical assistance to improve the quality of life for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with deaf-blindness in Virginia. The plan for the project included services based on recommended effective practices in the areas of early…

This manual is designed to assist facilitators working with members of a school community in forming or strengthening partnerships that will promote greater success for their youth. Participants can identify characteristics that are most important for youth to be successful in their community, consider ways to determine that students are…

This book provides an introduction to early intervention programs, focusing on programs that reflect a transactional model of family-centered services employing collaborative and interdisciplinary techniques. Chapter 1 presents the historical context of early intervention services. Chapter 2 defines the various disabilities and risk conditions.…