Tyese Wright and Michelle Banks have very different lives; however, both women are independent, confident, and successful, and both were identified as deaf by the age of 18 months. Perhaps their success is partly a result of their upbringing. Both had parents who learned sign language and who became intimately involved in their education. In fact,…

In some ways raising deaf or hard of hearing children is no different than raising hearing children; expectations must be established and periodically tweaked. Benna Hull Timperlake, who with husband Roger, raised two hearing children in addition to their deaf daughter, Genelle Timperlake Sanders, and Genelle, now a deaf professional, share their…

This article argues that in the ordinary course of events, most parents routinely practice "reproductive teleology" in that they attempt to manipulate the physical and psychological characteristics of children, and they do so as part of the process of good parenting. Furthermore, such attempts are socially approved of and encouraged. With these…

The author praises Ellen Brantlinger's article "What Low-Income Parents Want from Schools: A Different View of Aspirations" (v16 n4 1985) and her method. This article is followed by a criticism by Weir and a response to both articles by Brantlinger. (MT)

Baby Boom parents' high incomes and stratospheric expectations often combine to confound the most seasoned school administrators. These parents are criticized for shifting parental responsibility to schools and overstressing their children's academic achievement. For all their hyperactivity, many upscale parents do care and have considerable…

The values and ambitions of parents which lead them to expect high, early achievement from young children and which cause them to pressure early childhood educators to accelerate formal academic instruction are examined. Implications for early childhood educators in terms of policy and practice are discussed. (PCB)

Yvonne Griggs Allen is an African-American elementary principal who grew up in a large, poor family and graduated from a segregated school in Tennessee. She credits her parents for pushing her toward a teaching/administrative career. Allen's first task as principal was transforming a dilapidated elementary school into an inviting facility. Her…

An administrator/former teacher ponders difficulties of living in two cultures: a professional world that respects her degrees and credentials and a Latina world that questions pursuit of the "American dream." Although she used her American voice to coax a Latina student back to school, she sympathized with the mother's family-centered…

The mother of a seven-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome describes her feelings as she came to realize that, despite intense early stimulation activities, her son's developmental capabilities were limited. The article also notes that media exposure of the successes of some disabled children sometimes creates unrealistic expectations in parents.…

Urges parents and teachers to cultivate realistic expectations regarding the development of young children. Sees the parents' role as teaching basic activities related to food, sleep, cleanliness, safety and love. Sees the preschool's role as helping children learn to get along with others, develop language skills, and accept responsibilities.…

A parent deplores the overemphasis on socialization and collaboration in his son's seventh-grade classroom. He believes cooperative learning limits his son's educational opportunity, intellectual growth, and motivation to achieve. In the wake of corporate downsizing, there's even greater need for individual initiative and expertise. Social…

Urges parental guidance and control of children, as well as support for the students and schools during present-day period of transition in social roles and values. Discusses four different types of parents and their typical expectations of schools. (JD)

Based on experience of having two children with multiple learning disabilities, the author offers strategies for parents to help children experience success and excellence in their education: (1) never limit expectations or predetermine the final outcome; (2) explore all interests and abilities for hidden potential; and (3) include children in…

Poor kids quit attending school because they need money for personal or family needs, they cant' compete with their peers financially, their parents don't value education, and/or the curriculum is not geared toward their needs. Work study funds, school-parent communication, curriculum revision and extracurricular participation could reduce their…

Includes "The Family: Ultimate Arbiter of Workforce Education Reform" (Gray); "Reaction to Way and Rossman's Family Contributions to Adolescent Readiness for School-to-Work Transition" (Stewart); "Using Structural Equation Modeling and Path Analysis for Advancing Conceptual and Theoretical Positions" (Rojewski); and "Response to Stewart, Gray and…