Examines parent and teacher roles in elementary science instruction. Advocates involving parents as part of the community of learners in elementary science and mathematics education because they are critically important to the overall quality of education. Parent recommendations included receiving specific information from teachers through…

Outlines a working definition of school community, traces connections between definitional components of community and children's learning, and suggests ways to measure school community components to establish a school-improvement indicator. Results of a parent/teacher survey explore community components such as shared educational values,…

Analyzes public school bureaucracy and ways to reform institutions into learning communities that value shared knowledge and learning experiences. Describes how a bureaucratic organizational structure impairs learning. Proposes the "learning organization" in which adults learn alongside students, planning is decentralized, families are…

Contains an annotated bibliography of literature that addresses understanding the family-learning process. The material relates to the definition of family, why families visit museums, how they behave in museums, how they learn in museums, and how this type of learning is measured. Contains 39 references. (DDR)

Reflects on John Ogbu's explanations for the wide academic achievement gap between black and white students, explaining Ogbu's view that black students' poor performance reflects their incorporation of the beliefs of white society and their subsequent academic self-doubt leads to self-elimination. Notes the importance of telling black children…

Study examined the effects of different aspects of parenting, father absence, and affiliation with delinquent peers on delinquent behavior in a cohort of Black male adolescents. Study suggests that Black male adolescents are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior if they are closely monitored and supervised by their parents. (Contains 38…

Offers 10 suggestions for parents to support their children's teachers, including: create a smooth takeoff each day; fill the child's lunchbox with healthy snacks and lunches; include calm, peaceful times in the child's afternoons and evenings; fill the child's life with a love for learning by showing off one's own curiosity and respecting the…

Examines the effect of parental attachment and supervision on fear of crime among adolescent males. The results indicate that boys who are most attached to their parents are less fearful of criminal victimization and feel safer in their environment. Additionally, those boys whose parents supervise them closely are more fearful of criminal…

Describes parent-staff relationships at two public elementary schools with significant parent participation. At one, accommodation and community typify parent-teacher interactions, while at the other, interactions are ambivalent and competitive. Suggests that social class and school culture interact to shape what is possible for parents and…

Considers how educators can assist parents in supporting their children toward a positive educational experience through language arts. Describes a class for parents that offered a different approach to helping students meet the state standards. (SG)

This paper examines predictors of attendance at parenting workshops. Variables that were considered as predictors of parent attendance include social demographic characteristics, parent characteristics, and child characteristics. Parent education and parent's perception of their child's antisocial behavior both had positive and statistically…

Using three different theoretical perspectives, examines the engagement, availability, participation, and warmth of residential fathers in married biological parent, unmarried biological parent, married stepparent, and cohabiting father families. Biology explains less of father involvement than anticipated once differences between fathers are…

Argues that it is fundamental for education that the interaction of teachers with parents and children be a reciprocal learning experience for all parties. If reciprocal negotiation and convention setting are missing from the partnership dialogue, it is the teacher's responsibility to implement methods whereby all partners grow as the skills of…

The Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching (FIRST) was created in 1988 to encourage and reward innovative educational projects. The subsidiary Family/School Partnership program awards federal grants to local education agencies promoting a better balance between home and school education practices. This article lists grant…

Provides a selection of criteria (including needs assessment, shared responsibilities, decision making, constant communication, and continuous participation) which must be part of lasting and long-term outreach efforts with parents. (MG)