Early childhood teachers, the first contacts outside the family for many children, are in a key position to convey knowledge about adoption and model acceptance of it. As teachers educate themselves about adoption issues, they can foster a positive response to family diversity in the classroom by raising awareness, empowering adopted children, and…

Used focus group interviews to explore parents' perceptions of school efforts at parental involvement in elementary school. Found that parents described many positive interactions with their children's schools. Positive interactions were related to attitudes of classroom teachers, communication practices of the school and teacher, and the format…

Six articles discuss the relationship between parents and teachers: (1) "Creating Partnership with Families: Problem-Solving Through Communication" (Keyser); (2) "Changing Our Attitudes and Actions in Working With Families" (Hilliard and Pelo); (3) "Including Parents in the Process of Documentation" (Hall, Oleson, and Gambetti); (4) "Empowering…

A long-term study in rural Alaska schools examined effects of parent involvement on student outcomes in three parental-role typologies: trust-building activities to close the school-community gap, informal parent involvement, and parent participation in school governance. The influences of stability of school conditions and socioeconomic variables…

A mother and daughter describe their family's educational experiences with a K-12 noncoercive free school, Upattinas School and Resource Center (Pennsylvania), and with home schooling and public school. They have learned that people learn best when placed in a supportive environment. Forced learning, as in public school, tends to turn off the…

A telephone survey investigated the level of father involvement in primary schools in a regional area of New South Wales. Hypotheses tested were: (a) that the level of mother involvement is higher than that of fathers, and (b) that fathers are primarily involved in gender stereotypical activities. The survey also aimed to provide a benchmark for…

Each month, "Curriculum Review" offers teachers mutual support, the sharing of ideas, and words of encouragement to help them face challenges in the classroom. The April 2004 issue of "Curriculum Review" contains the following articles: (1) "We Hear from Readers"; (2) "What They're Saying"; (3) "Technology Update"; (4) "Use Class Web Site to Host…

This article describes El Salvadorian immigrant, Esperanza Marquez's experiences dealing with the inaccessibility of ESL and special education services at her children's schools, through an interview with the author. Throughout the nation, Latino immigrant parents like Esperanza do not only have to adjust to a new life in the United States, but to…

The authors compared parent-perceived communication behaviors for formally assessed stages longitudinally for 42 infants at risk for being nonspeaking. They compared perceived communication behaviors at assessed transitions to communicative stages (intentional behavior, intentional communication, symbolic communication) and found systematic…

The inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classes provides an opportunity for teachers to identify classroom management policies and practices that promote diversity and community. Community-building management strategies that facilitate friendships, collaboration, parent involvement, and address challenging behaviors in a…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latino students accounted for 18% of the school population in 2003, and the larger Latino population had reached 41.3 million as of 2004. With a yearly growth rate of 3.6%, Latinos continue to be the fastest growing population group in the nation. As Latinos continue to shape the diversity in the schools, many…

We focus on how African American parents in a low-income neighborhood experience, interpret, and respond to current reform efforts as implemented in their children's school. As part of a larger project on parent-child numeracy connections in an elementary school, we interviewed 10 parents and held 2 focus group meetings, during which parents…

Chinese Americans' high levels of educational achievement have earned them attention as a "model minority" to be emulated by underachieving and underrepresented minority groups. However, the model minority analogy does not adequately explain how this achievement is realized, nor how such information can be used to help other groups close the…

This study investigated the characteristics of 106 children primarily referred for externalizing behavior problems and their families, and assessed the prediction of treatment outcome following a standardized short-term, cognitive behavioral group program. "Exploring Together" comprised a children's group (anger management, problem-solving and…

This study examined the efficacy of a school-based exercise and nutrition program with a parent component. Third-grade children (N = 238) from six elementary schools participated in the study, with three schools randomly assigned to a program group and the other three schools to a control group. The program group received a health-related fitness…