This paper describes and justifies The Schools Reaching Out Project on the basis of research proving that urban families and communities that build stronger connections to the schools are linked to healthy child development, the academic and social success of children in school, better teaching, cost savings and improved educational services and…

The history and goals of the League of Schools Reaching Out, a national program of the Institute for Responsive Education (IRE), is described in this report. The league is IRE's principal national strategy to show how family/community/school partnerships can contribute to school restructuring aimed at increasing the academic and social success of…

Interviews with 150 low-income parents in three countries reveal that their low involvement with the schools was due to the fact that teachers and administrators have a substandard view of low-socioeconomic status families, and the parents have low assessments of their own educational effectiveness. Empowerment programs in each country are…