Less than two years ago, a school district in west Texas initiated a program called Volunteer Initiative Program (VIP) to increase community and parent involvement in grades kindergarten through twelve. Through VIP, the district encouraged district teachers and staff to increase their efforts to involve parents in their schools. Carlos Valdez and…

Briefly describes Witchita's Team Oriented Corrective Reading (TOCR) program for grades 1-8 and reports that a dissemination grant from the National Diffusion Network is helping spread the program to schools in other states and in Mexico. (SJL)

Discusses the Comer Parents' Program Model, a structure to develop and plan effective parent-school partnerships. Describes the program's three levels (broad-based participation, parents-as-volunteers, and parents-as-decision-makers). Notes the need for a comprehensive plan. Discusses the four key elements of the plan: information exchange,…

School districts interested in developing a more realistic program for the gifted might find the suggestions in this research helpful. Eleven observations developed from 15 years of administrative experience are the basis for designing this program. (Author/RK)

This article describes the transition program at Goodyear Junior High in Akron, Ohio. Beginning in the spring, it helps reduce the adjustment anxiety of sixth graders and their parents by familiarizing them with the school and preparing them for the junior high school experience. Some evaluative feedback is cited. (SJL)

The Avon Grove School District has a middle school orientation program for incoming elementary students and their parents, which consists of several visits and open houses in the Spring and at the beginning of the Fall term. (SJL)

Describes a program in a rural school district in Georgia that brings teens, their babies, and the teens' parents together. Notes that the program combines the elements of early intervention, parent involvement, parenting skills, literacy, and career preparation. (RS)

Discusses several prominent intervention approaches intended to prevent violence and inappropriate behavior in school by directly or indirectly affecting the social climate of the school. Looks at programs focusing on: parent and community involvement; character education; violence prevention and conflict resolution curricula; peer mediation; and…

Discusses eight key elements that should be included in programs (in school districts along the United States-Mexico border) designed to boost immigrant parents' participation and involvement in their children's education. (SR)