Claims that Joe Nathan's article in the same "Educational Leadership" issue stresses positive school choice examples while ignoring the problems of replacing neighborhood schools with a system of unzoned, competitive enrollments. Raises concerns of equity, school improvement, parent involvement, teacher empowerment, school assessment, funding, and…

Delineates options for creating a school policy on parental involvement in reading. Identifies five parallel strands based on various stages of school life, including programs for: (1) all children; (2) more involved families; (3) novelty and individualization; (4) children with special needs; and (5) volunteer parents in school. (RS)

Eleven focus groups with teachers and administrators in rural Iowa revealed that educators perceive many parents as uninterested, unable, or unwilling to be involved in schools and having unrealistic expectations of the school's role. They believe the door is open for parental involvement and perceive a relationship between parent participation…

Discusses how to create an effective working partnership between parents and teachers. Discusses parents as part of their children's literacy development, as teaching partners in the classroom, as resource persons in the classroom, and as teachers at home. (SR)

According to advocates, school uniforms reduce gang influence, decrease families' clothing expenditures, and help mitigate potentially divisive cultural and economic differences. Aiming to improve school climate, a California elementary school adopted uniforms as a source of pride and affiliation. This article describes the development of the…

Defines five elements needed in the construction of a sound theater program: curriculum, artistic quality, program participation, community and parental support, and administrative and faculty recognition. Discusses the importance of these elements. Concludes that, although implementing this program takes time, the effort is worth it. (PA)

Little advanced research exists on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of hyperactivity disorders in children. This article debates the pros and cons of ritalin and other medical treatments and defines the principal's role in studying recent research on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, examining current identification policies,…

For a middle school, family involvement in school life begins with the orientation program for incoming students. An effective transition program can help parents and prospective students anticipate a new school's academic and social expectations. This article describes a Vermont middle school's transition program, highlighting planning and…

Discusses a method by which young children learn about life and death by studying plants. Plants are used because their life cycle has minimal emotional significance to the children. Parent involvement, teacher attitudes, and experiences with the method are discussed. (DG)

In 1989, the Quality Education Project was initiated in seven Mississippi school districts through a Department of Education grant. QEP is designed to meet local families' specific needs. In each locality, teachers, parents, administrators, and community representatives develop a plan, with support from area businesses, churches, and civic groups.…

Community-based education can improve citizen attitudes. This conclusion was reached by study to explore the basis for attitudes about school performance and input in policymaking expressed by citizens in a community with an identified "community-based" education program and those in a community without such a program. (Author/JOW)

Home-school partnerships provide a strong support system. Besides encouraging parents, teachers, and students to work together for more effective learning and teaching, the system helps parents understand their emerging adolescents. A rural Pennsylvania middle school's "Steps to Success" program offers various activities involved with…

Randomly assigned 147 families with aggressive child (age 4 to 9 years) to standard family treatment (SFT) focusing exclusively on parental management or to enhanced family treatment (EFT) that also promoted discussions of adult issues. EFT produced significantly lower dropout rate than SFT overall but particularly for high-adversity families.…

When surveying parents on six types of involvement, the Family Center at Johns Hopkins University found that respondents were uninterested in regular school visits or participation in decision making but eager to help their children at home. In response, two researchers developed TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork), an interactive…

Virginia sued the U.S. Department of Education over withdrawal of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding in a dispute involving discipline of a disabled student. Disciplinary safeguards for students with disability-related misconduct are well established by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in "Honig v. Doe." Congress…