Findings from a study of more than 200 families with adopted children yield valuable insights into the reasons why adoptive relationships collapse and what factors agencies should consider in matching children and families to avoid disruption. (Author/BB)

Parental kidnapping could lead to a lawsuit against the school or principal. After general building security, schools need to check on custody status, network with the courts, and convince both custodial and noncustodial parents that schools are on the children's side. A summary provides 14 steps to safeguard against parental kidnapping. (MLF)

Presents staff tools for dealing with upset campers whose parents are divorced or separating, such as acknowledging and listening. Gives tips and sample legal language on how to determine marital status and parenting arrangements; whom to call with questions; and which parent can enroll, visit, authorize medical treatment for, and pay the bill for…

Offers administrative directives, including visitor identification and student release policies and a specific release procedure, for preventing and dealing with problems related to child snatching by spouses or former spouses. (KS)

This guide is designed to show group leaders how to organize a program on single parents and their families and present this program in two meetings. At the first meeting, presenters provide information about single-parent families; at the second they suggest ways to involve the school, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and other community…

Describes one family's unsuccessful experience with a minority student in a foster home situation. Schools are not equipped to handle the special problems of certain students who make up a large percentage of the dropout population. (MD)

This conference proceedings reports on a 1989 meeting addressing respite care for families of children with mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. The conference addressed: (1) respite care concepts, programs, and issues; and (2) planning for designing, financing, and implementing state and local respite programs. The report contains the…

This booklet examines the plight of homeless families who have children who need special educational services. It explores the magnitude of homelessness among families, provides empirical descriptions of homeless populations, and identifies factors contributing to the rising incidence of homelessness in the United States. Specific effects of…

Examines burnout, focusing on levels of burnout in rural Illinois extension service staff. Identifies work and conditions that create high risk of burnout. Indicates crisis staff working with distressed families experienced burnout as often as other staff. Makes recommendations for reducing burnout among rural social service providers. (Author/TES)

This report offers materials from a project proposing a conceptual framework for teacher preparation for clothing program instruction. The project reflects contemporary and future concerns of individuals and families as well as the state of the art of clothing and textiles. The data collection procedures are described as well as questions that…

This guide suggests ways to develop and implement school-based programs and services for pregnant and parenting adolescents. The guide is organized in 10 sections. The first section summarizes the problem of teen parenthood, with information on the causes and the consequences of early pregnancy. In the second section, teen parents' needs for…

The main reasons that students drop out of high school are poor grades, family problems, and financial problems. The school reform movement may compound marginal students' difficulties and cause more students to drop out. (MD)

Describes the recent influx of immigrants from the nations of the former Soviet Union. Presents information about reasons for their emigration and difficulties encountered upon settlement in the United States. Recommends that schools and colleges develop programs to ease the transition for these new students and their families. (CFR)

Maintains that art therapy encompasses the areas of mental health and art education. Presents a case study of three sisters from a family with a history of sexual abuse and illustrates how art therapy was used as part of their overall treatment. (CFR)

Twenty-one recommendations addressing 11 topics related to the needs of infants and young children in substance-abusing families were generated as a result of 2 meetings of experts, practitioners, and policymakers in California. Recommendations cover terminology, prevention, assessment, early intervention, family treatment, foster care, family…