Commissioner's Rules Concerning the State Plan for Educating English Language Learners (ELLs) states that all school districts that are required to provide bilingual education and/or English as a second language (ESL) programs establish and operate a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC). The LPACs are charged with reviewing all…

Research shows that parent involvement makes a significant difference in children's achievement, especially during elementary and middle school. Even though the school year is well underway, there is still plenty of time to make this your school's best year ever for parent involvement. Here are some of the most effective strategies I've come…

Outlines goals of the parent-teacher association (PTA), the problems of the PTA's traditional structuring, and possible models for restructuring the PTA. Presents six goals identified by the National PTA to improve parent involvement and help to successfully restructure PTAs. Lists 14 strategies that could encourage the development of a…

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders in youth has been evaluated in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and recent studies have sought to determine if the effects can be enhanced by an adjunctive parent component. The rationale for adding parents as active participants to treatment for anxious youth includes the notions that…

Describes how various school districts in the United States are complying with the 1987 McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act (reauthorized in 2001). Summarizes changes in McKinney-Vento regulations. (PKP)

Principal Gene Bedley of El Camino Real School in Irvine, California, is the 1985 winner of the National PTA Hearst Outstanding Educator of the Year Award. Mr. Bedley believes that education is a shared experience and builds strong relationships with teachers, parents, and children. Some of his techniques are described. (MT)

This article outlines some of the projects and activities which exist at New Hope Elementary School (MN). Discussed are parent awareness activities, use of positive reinforcement by school personnel, a reading incentive program, the gifted and talented program, career exploration for girls, and a peer assistance program for teachers. (IAH)

While recognition of the need to involve parents in the life of the school grows in public policy, anxiety continues at the intervention of 'the angry parent'. This paper seeks to develop understanding of this communicative action and apply it to a study of parental voice in schools that identified a number of expressions of 'storming'. The paper…

Places questions about parent involvement in the following four categories: (1) coproduction or partnership, (2) decision making, (3) citizen advocacy, and (4) parent choice. Discusses these categories, identifies examples or models, and offers recommendations for action by parents, policymakers, and practitioners. (LHW)

Discusses practices of several schools in the area of parent involvement. Five types of involvement are identified: (1) basic parental obligations, (2) basic school obligations, (3) parent involvement at school, (4) parent involvement in learning at home, and (5) parent involvement in governance and advocacy. (CH)

The dramatic change in parents' involvement in their children's primary education in England over the last 15 years is exemplified by the case of one inner-city Liverpool school's successful parent-school partnership program. Among other improvements, substantial gains in reading scores are attributed to parent assistance. (MJL)

Discusses the controversy concerning "The Nurture Assumption," a book that suggests children are shaped by their peers more than their parents. The message runs counter to decades of child development research and recent findings that parents are crucial in children's emotional and intellectual development. This paper examines criticism of the…

Focuses on parents' involvement with schools through the education of their own child's home learning activities. Also discusses other forms of involvement such as volunteering and sitting on advisory boards. Home-school collaboration to improve home learning environment is connected to elementary school-age student achievement. (LHW)

When administrators base plans and actions on the particular life circumstances and conditions of parents, effective school-home relations result. This article suggests different emphases in urban versus rural and elementary versus secondary settings. (Author/LHW)

Proposes a model for school-based parent conferences which are change-focused and developed from the principles of family and behavior therapy. Argues that a series of intermittent parent conferences across the school year can provide significant therapeutic impact. (LLL)