Presents five compelling reasons to make school-parent relations a priority of each district's professional development program: challenges to school structures and funding; public reactions and marketing factors; lack of preservice training in parental involvement; changes in demographics, family structure, and day care; and the potential impact…

This article stresses the importance of local PTA involving all parents in their programs, especially parents from minority groups. This article includes a checklist for rating local PTA. Also included is a brief case study of one PTA's successful efforts to increase the ethnic and language diversity of its membership. (IAH)

By recognizing the importance of early transitions for young children with handicaps and viewing transition as a lifelong process, professionals can guide parents in developing skills that can be applied to subsequent transitions throughout the child's life. Described are steps in the transition process, parents' transition skills, and expected…

Teachers generally feel unrewarded and underappreciated. Most oppose merit pay and extending the school year and desire higher pay and more authority. The most frequently mentioned problems are parents' lack of interest and support, lack of proper financial support, pupils' lack of interest and truancy, and lack of discipline. Other results are…

Points out limited value of college guides in college selection and encourages use of supplemental sources of information. Suggests questions to pose when evaluating guidebooks. Recommends prospective student consult with guidance counselor and family during decision-making process. (CM)

Investigated three hypotheses regarding structural predictors of domestic work of fathers of 48 families with a preschooler or kindergartner. Father involvement was greatest when the father was jobless and held a flexible view of the male role, the mother was working, and the target child was the oldest or nearly the oldest. (RJC)

Inexpensive and easy to implement, cooperative learning shifts the achievement burden from the teacher to all individuals in the classroom. Cooperative learning can prove particularly useful for Native American students, who are already fairly well advanced at sharing, working in groups, and independent reasoning when entering school. Includes…

In attempting to balance the requirements of social structure and the empowering initiative of creativity in children, numerous obstacles must be confronted, including insecurity; fear of uncertainty; ritualistic problem solving; dogmatic, dichotomous thinking; inner resourcelessness; lack of playfulness; restricted affect; forcing premature…

Parent involvement is taking on a new dimension in early childhood education. The changing family life, parent participation, and the importance of leadership are discussed. (15 references) (SI)

Describes and evaluates parents of young handicapped children. Presents a rationale for the involvement of parents in the education of their children and argues that parents can acquire basic teaching skills to work effectively with their children at home. (JOW)

If current trends continue, a disproportionate number of America's children will grow up poor, undereducated, and untrained. Skills for Growing, a multifaceted K-5 program designed to develop character, citizenship, and positive social skills, offers a collaborative approach to socialization of children in isolation. (MLH)

Discusses strategies by which high school teachers can take advantage of the assistance parents can provide, including reading articles with their children, mini-projects, and home labs. (MKR)

E. Callan develops a coherent argument for the common public school and the standard of reasonableness as a basis for common education. A better basis would be a consensus based on parents' wishes. Valid mainstream schools would compete successfully with separate schools because of their compelling world view. (SLD)

Describes ways that teachers in schools can help parents understand how children become readers and writers in order to build support for emergent literacy programs. Discusses classroom newsletters and parent workshops. (SR)

This literature review examined the congruence between parental estimates and professionals' assessments of the abilities of children with disabilities. Results suggest that there are strong, positive correlations between parental and professional judgments, and that methodology relates to the degree of congruence between parental and professional…