This publication provides a sample of activities taking place in schools. It is intended to offer ideas and provide contact information, so that others working to expand and improve family and community involvement in schools can benefit from shared experience. School districts and schools have implemented additional practices and policies to…

This paper discusses how families and schools can work together to better care for and foster learning in children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Four dimensions of the family-school relationship are addressed with 16 basic premises proposed. First, three premises offer a philosophical basis for family-school relationships and include adoption…

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 family child care providers of diverse race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and social class, this book explores the social, political, and economic forces and processes that draw women into the work of family child care. The articles dispel not only myths about why women choose to be family child care…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) provides the first national picture of the involvement of families in the educational development of their secondary-school-age children with disabilities. NLTS2 has a nationally representative sample of more than 11,000 students who were ages 13 through 16 and receiving special education…

To help special education planning teams reach agreements, several State Education Agencies (SEAs) provide the option of facilitated Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. The use of externally facilitated IEP meetings is growing nationally. When relationships between parents and schools are strained, facilitated meetings may be…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lives of eight grandmothers in primary caregiving roles. The grandmothers were African American or multiracial, with one from Belize of African descent, all caring for grandchildren. The findings of eight 1-hour interviews coupled with demographic surveys yielded the following information: The…

This document consists of the four 2001 issues of a journal (formerly "Journal of Educational Relations") published to promote student achievement through positive school-home-community relationships. Articles in the first issue include: "Crossing Basic/Higher Education Boundaries through a School-University Partnership" and "How a Group of Middle…

Noting that developing a strong relationship between the elementary or middle school and the family can help prevent students feelings of alienation and problems in learning, this guidebook provides a resource to help K-8 educators involve the entire family in the educational experience. Chapter 1 of the book outlines the vision for parent…

The School-Family Partnership (SFP) project at the University of Illinois at Chicago created a self-assessment tool to measure perceptions and practices of teachers and parents, with the overall mission of identifying and developing effective SFP practices. Parent questionnaires, in English and Spanish, and a teacher questionnaire were developed.…

This paper reviews studies examining the amount of time spent by fathers and mothers in child care activities, characteristics of fathers who spend more time with their children, ways to enhance fathers' child care performance, and the role of parent education in fatherhood. The paper also contains a list of organizations providing resources or…

This paper discusses the under-identification of Asian-origin students with disabilities and strategies for developing an educational environment sensitive to and supportive of the educational rights of all students with disabilities as guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It begins by discussing the unique problems of…

Noting that few studies have assessed the long-term correlates of maternal employment during infancy, this study assessed the quality of college-age students' current relationships with their parents as a function of the employment status of their parents during the respondents' childhood. Participating in the research were 822 college students…

This document consists of the two 2000 issues of the "Journal of Educational Relations," published twice yearly to promote student achievement through positive school-home-community relationships. The articles in the first issue include: "Behaviors of a Principal Directly Influence a School's Culture" (Douglas J. Fiore) and…

This booklet is the 13th in a series of "hot topic" reports produced by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. These reports briefly address current educational concerns and issues as indicated by requests for information that come to the laboratory from the Northwest region and beyond. Each booklet contains a discussion of research and…

Noting that understanding the process of transition, identifying the appropriate tools, and developing strategies are key elements to facilitate smooth transitions through early childhood, this booklet is designed to assist educators in this transition process. The booklet discusses how transitions to new programs create both challenges and new…