Examines ways to increase the effectiveness of partnerships between schools, families, and communities. Recommends using smarter communication, making the school more welcoming to families and communities, reaching out to reluctant families, enlisting parents and community agencies to help educate children, and helping families obtain support for…

This special issue pulls together several strands of research about home-school relationships' influences on school effectiveness. The first article presents a comprehensive model linking various research and policy initiatives with the effective schools framework. The remaining articles discuss family influence on schools through choice and…

Analysis of 82 court cases involving pregnancy discrimination, 1972-91, shows that this litigation revealed the gender bias of equal employment opportunity law and capitalist economic relations, eroded assumptions about economic imperatives for not accommodating pregnant workers, and laid the groundwork for the Family and Medical Leave Act of…

Offers an interpretation of the dynamics of home-school relations in terms of a matrix of "mobilisations" and "demolisations" among parents, teachers, and children based upon data collected in an action research and development project. Aims to establish some bases for practical and theoretical "manoeuvers." (CMK)

Offers ways for early childhood and elementary teachers to explore a family's use of and priorities for literacy. Includes ethnographic vignettes emphasizing strategies for viewing families neutrally and avoiding assumptions and judgment. Asserts that to understand the family's literacy experiences and priorities will more closely connect…

Discusses how experiential learning is a central issue in adult learning. Explores several aspects of experiential learning and how it can be used by adult students. Suggests further examination of the impact of experiential learning on academic performance and of strategies students can use to capitalize on it. (JS)

Compares kindergarten movements in Germany and the United States during the late 19th and early 20th century. Notes that Froebel kindergartens became more popular in the United States due to different attitudes toward the relationship of family and school. Points out the success of kindergarten as reflective of women's societal status. (KO)

Defends the author's "Low-Income Hispanic Parents' Contributions to Their First-Grade Children's Word Recognition Skills" (1987) against criticisms advanced by Sledge, Blot, and Delisle (1988). (Author/BJV)

A case study is used to demonstrate the effects of mild traumatic brain injury on educational efforts. Discussion covers factors complicating school reintegration, ways to facilitate school reintegration, identification of cognitive and behavioral consequences, minimization of educators' discomfort, reintegration program design, and family…

Describes how kindergarten children interacted and documented their experiences with the "There Were Ten in the Bed" storybook bags in the home setting and how the children explored and expressed their conceptions of 10. Includes letter to the family. (MKR)

Schools can utilize community resources and the family to nurture the student with exceptional talent. Programs such as the Student Leadership Development Program in Dade County, Florida, identify community resources, facilitate the engagement of these resources with students, and integrate these extended educational experiences into the total…

A study at an urban university found that, while type of child care used by classified staff was not a significant predictor of absenteeism, care by nonrelatives was associated with significantly more absences than was care by relatives. However, satisfaction with care was a significant predictor of absenteeism. (MSE)

Describes the features of families using traditional nursery schools and community nurseries providing integrated education, health, and social services in the Strathclyde region of Scotland. Illustrates how community nursery provision is helping vulnerable families cope better with their children than traditional nursery schools, reflecting…

Because schools falter when children's lives are deprived, resource centers link Kentucky's schools and homes. The centers reside at schools where at least 20 percent of the students receive free meals. Centers help families obtain reliable health and child care, among other things. Each facility is tailored to specific community needs. (SM)

This article identifies cultural, linguistic, and economic factors that educators should consider in designing services to meet the needs of families of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional children. Additionally, strategies are suggested for involving these families in educational programs. (Author/DB)