This report summarizes a meeting of local school officials and Head Start directors from across the country to discuss ways to improve children's experience of transition from Head Start to public school. In a keynote address, Sharon Kagan discussed the importance of transitions, the lessons history has taught educators about transitions, and…

The development of collaboration at the school level to meet the needs of students with limited English proficiency and other special needs is discussed in this digest. The following topics are covered: barriers to collaboration (e.g., funding, turf issues); changing perceptions of collaboration; ways to promote collaboration, especially the need…

This study was designed to assess, on a national basis, what education and training preservice elementary education teachers receive on the topic of home-school communication, especially in the area of parent-teacher conferencing, and to determine if there were significant differences between teacher education programs in how they prepare…

This report provides the 1994 follow-up evaluation of the Early Childhood Parent/Education Family Literacy Project in South Carolina, first evaluated in 1993. The objective of the evaluation was a comprehensive review and analysis of program components and elements as designed and implemented by 12 pilot projects. Highlights from the 1993…

Intended for teachers of young children exposed to violence in their communities, this paper presents an introduction to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including its definition, symptoms, causes, and providing a supportive classroom environment. The definition discussed is based on that of the Fourth Edition of the Diagnostic and…

A small but increasing number of school-aged children are engaging in home schooling--pursuing learning at home or elsewhere in the community. This digest summarizes research findings on and issues around home schooling. It describes the historical roots of home schooling, the estimated number of participants, the constitutionality and legal…

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 was passed to promote a healthier balance between work and family responsibilities. It allows covered employers to grant up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to eligible workers for: (1) the birth, adoption, or foster-care assumption of a child; (2) the "serious health condition" of a spouse,…

This paper explores the insights of five social theorists regarding families, schools, and parent-teacher relations. The five theorists are: (1) Urie Bronfenbrenner, a child psychologist and advocate of public policies that support families, who argues that frequent, positive communication between parents and teachers creates the optimal…

This book presents findings of a study that identified and analyzed 18 recently developed programs or reform efforts in the United States that stress effective parental involvement. Chapter 1 provides a review of education literature and research on parent involvement from 1945 to 1985 and situates newly emerging efforts within the current climate…

The transitions students make during their years of schooling are usually major events in their lives and in the lives of their parents. The stresses created by these transitions can be minimized when the new environment is responsive to each particular age group. This digest presents a brief overview of some of the issues involved in the…

Available empirical evidence indicates that the deterioration of stable marriages and families has been a principal generator of moral decline. Children learn moral values mainly within their families, and mainly by relying on their parents as role models. Family conditions for modeling values, together with recent family trends that have impacted…

This report details a situation analysis of children working in football stitching around Sialkot, Pakistan. The analysis (1) examined the reasons that children work and the probable impact of eradicating children's involvement and phasing out home-based production and (2) determined a baseline for monitoring changes in children's and families'…

This monograph reviews the research in linkages between schools and families of children with disabilities. An introductory section offers vignettes showing a typical school/home relationship of a family with a Down syndrome child in either 1958, 1978, or 1998. Part 1 considers what research has found about family functioning in terms of the…

This handbook describes an innovative instructional/innovation model (implemented in an urban school district in the southwestern United States) that represents a promising approach to the education of language minority students. School personnel, parents, and educational planners may use the handbook to assess the appropriateness of the…

Many parents of children at risk for failure do not participate in school-related activities. Some parents have a negative view of all school contacts. This practicum examined ways to engage parents of children at risk of failure in informative and self-help experiences that helped the parents feel more connected with the school experience. Eight…