Epilepsy affects approximately one percent of the population, with most cases having onset during childhood. School personnel can best incorporate the child with epilepsy into the classroom and provide support for families by becoming familiar with the types of seizure disorders, the issues that epilepsy presents for children and families, and the…

Studies have shown that work-related stressors are compounded by the stressors that employees bring to the workplace. Although interdisciplinary interest in the work-family relationship has increased during the past 2 decades, a conceptual understanding of how work affects the family or the reciprocal relationship between family and work has yet…

The League of Schools Reaching Out is a national project designed to study ways in which a family-community-school collaboration can contribute to school reform. This document reports the results of a 1991 survey of 42 schools belonging to the league. Results concerning strategies and practices of collaboration indicate that: (1) the level of…

The parent-teacher conference offers an opportunity to improve communication between home and school. In addition, it is an ideal time for discussing how the home environment can compliment and reinforce the work accomplished at school. Thus, when parents ask what they can do at home to help, the teacher can respond with specific suggestions for…

This monograph for teachers outlines reasons for working with parents. It presents a sampling of practical strategies that teachers can use to foster parent competence and responsibility in the education of their children. It also contains answers to some of teachers' questions about getting parents to visit the school and encouraging them to…

This guide for school personnel is intended to sensitize them to the special problems of homeless students, to help them meet their special needs, and to help them make school a more comfortable place for these students. It is divided into four areas of particular concern for homeless children. The first, food, makes the following points: (1)…

A fourth-grade teacher designed and implemented a practicum study for the purpose of increasing parent participation in a culturally diverse, rural, upper elementary school. The central aim was to involve parents in the education of their children. To attain the objective, unique communication strategies were used to meet the needs of the…

Alcohol and drug abuse not only affect the individual, but the entire community. No single person or organization alone is capable of, nor responsible for solving the substance abuse problem. It is now important that schools establish partnerships with the community to develop and implement appropriate programs to foster healthy adolescent…

The Schools Reaching Out project attempts to demonstrate that urban public schools can improve their students' academic and social success by fundamentally changing their relationship with low-income parents and their communities. The project began in 1988 with two elementary schools in Boston and New York serving as laboratory schools. The…

Several strategies for improving communication between parents and teachers are explored in this handbook. Section I provides background information on parent-teacher communication. Recommendations to teachers for enhancing parent involvement in education are provided. Section II describes communication strategies for use in parent-teacher…

In 1985-1986, the mission of Connecticut's Committee on Four-Year-Olds, Their Families, and the Public Schools was to develop strategies to alleviate structural and systematic problems that could diminish the success of expanded early intervention efforts in the state. This report of the yearlong effort begins with a review of the committee's work…

Designed for teachers of students in grades 4-8, this program provides specific, easy-to-do activities for use with volunteers, parents, and students. Following a brief introduction explaining program procedures, the document is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on jobs, including ways to do a job well, find useful jobs in school and…

One problematic area in education involves the relationship between parents and teachers, between home and school. This paper briefly outlines some contemporary issues in this area, both in the public policy arena and in social scientific theory. Next, it outlines the issues as they are reflected in contemporary writing about an earlier period in…

A study was conducted to discover the ethical and professional concerns of people working as early childhood professionals in kindergartens and day care centers in Victoria, Australia. A survey was sent to over 50 kindergartens and 50 government-subsidized child care centers within a 100-kilometer radius of central Melbourne. The survey consisted…

Tips for fostering parent involvement in early childhood programs are provided in the first part of this collection of assorted handout materials. Contents include (1) a discussion of program benefits resulting from parent involvement and a description of what parents should do to participate effectively, (2) a list of five questions for school…