In this article, the author presents a discussion regarding the sharing of decision making regarding curriculum in preschool. The preschool where she teaches is housed in a diverse, faith-based elementary school in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan, a midsize, midwestern city. It offers full-day, half-day, and two-and-a-half-hour preschool…

Describes a program in which parents were included in the selecting of teachers. Argues that the benefits of such a program outweigh the problems. (IRT)

Presents evidence that schools inconsistently tap the social, cultural, and linguistic resources of families, privileging specific groups. Argues that teachers need to examine their literacy practices and the ways these affect students. Offers a description of an Australian program to provide a framework for bridging home and school literacies.…

Discusses five elements in the effective involvement of parents as volunteers in Catholic school communities: receptivity of faculty and staff to volunteers, school organization and structure, recruitment, training, and recognition of the parents' contributions. Offers examples from St. Pius X/St. Leo School's (Omaha, Nebraska) volunteer program.…

Describes the role of the elementary principal in the Boston schools before and during the court-ordered desegregation effort. Describes how one principal used his increased authority to effect change in his school. (IRT)

Describes programs such as "Read Together" and the "Gift Book Program" that were developed by "Beginning with Books," a prevention-oriented literacy agency affiliated with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Discusses projects that promote literacy in home and community. (MG)

With genuine love and substantive support, educators can help the estimated 200,000 to 500,000 homeless young people in the United States enrich their personal and academic lives. After securing district office staff approval, the building principal and interested faculty can discuss homeless students' needs with the director of the local shelter…

This brief paper describes the "Brookline After School Special:" a program created to meet the after-school needs of older elementary school-age children throughout the city of Brookline, Massachusetts. The rationale for the program, a discussion of aspects considered in implementing the program, and reflections on the first year of…

A comprehensive school management system plan that includes parent participation and staff development is described. The staff development program is influenced by parents' input through surveys and through their direct involvement on site councils. (JMF)

Describes three projects involving family-Montessori school collaboration: (1) "'Growing Room' for The New School" (Staubitz), a building expansion for a private Montessori school in Cincinnati; (2) "Lei Day in Hawaii" (Hook), a uniquely celebrated Hawaiian holiday; and (3) "Tales Told by Toddlers" (Littleton), an…

The Texas Metro Network (TMN) is an informal group of Head Start Directors and Executive Directors organized for the purposes of improving the delivery of training and technical assistance and for assisting communication between large scale Head Start programs in the metropolitan areas of Texas. In pursuit of these aims, each member unit of the…

A current project of the Southeastern Public Education Program (SEPEP) of the American Friends Service Committee is strengthening the implementation of parental involvement requirements of Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Toward this end, SEPEP has provided technical assistance to parent advisory council members in…

This paper discusses parent participation in education from three perspectives: current research and theoretical positions; a brief historical review of parent involvement and its limitations; and the comprehensive approach used by the School Development Program. The first section reviews past publications that focus on the importance of…

Describes the use of interactive homework, which requires parent and student participation, to strengthen the connection between parents and their children's school. Discusses the use of interactive homework in a kindergarten through fifth-grade program for Japanese as a foreign language at the Falk Laboratory School at the University of…

Discusses how foreign language teachers at Bay Point Elementary School in Pinellas County, Florida have worked to align assessment with the teaching process. Assessment goals, materials, parent communication, the process, benefits, and evaluation results of the assessment program are highlighted. (Author/VWL)