The Family Literacy Program in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is an example of a strong linkage between professional educators, volunteers, and parents. The program uses the strengths of reading professionals working with preschool students and adult learners in order to break the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy. Cooperation and hard work are the…

Parents need to be involved in the academic lives and the literacy learning of their children. Literature is a natural way to involve parents in the process. Through a thematic unit on families, students learn about themselves and their families. Students read books with a family theme and work in literature circles on projects, papers, and…

This publication presents papers and reprints of articles aimed at family members of persons with mental illnesses. After an introductory chapter, the second chapter reviews definitions of mental illness, and discusses what is known about medicating such conditions as well as the relationship of substance abuse to mental illness. The next chapter…

Comprehensive educational choice, implemented by a voucher system, would improve the quality of education of Chicago's elementary and secondary students and empower parents to choose the public or private school that would best serve their children's special needs. Enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools has decreased by 29 percent since 1971,…

Over a period of 9 months, a certified Child Development Associate (CDA) trainer and charter member of the National Association of Migrant Educators implemented and evaluated a practicum intervention designed to improve the learning environments of migrant preschool children through in-service training of migrant teachers, aides, parents, and…

A study focused on families whose children were successful but not exceptional students in kindergarten. Subjects were eight parents (all mothers) whose children had been enrolled the previous year in a kindergarten program that maintained a whole language curricular orientation. The children (four girls and four boys) were highly successful in…

A 7 month study evaluated a parent education program designed to inform parents of second- and fourth-graders about the writing process and the teaching of writing. A secondary goal was to evaluate the effect of teaching writing as a process upon the children's attitudes toward writing. The participants (37 parents, 15 second-graders, and 17…

Intended for teachers in Tasmania, this booklet discusses the role of parents and the home in language development as an integral and important part of a school's language program. The booklet suggests that schools need to determine the best way to communicate to parents: how important parents are to the early development of children's language;…

This guide, in English and Spanish, presents ideas for parents to assist their child's progress at school. The contents include ten sections on the following topics: (1) getting started (the importance of attendance and health requirements); (2) report cards; (3) scheduling study time and developing study skills; (4) talking to the teacher; (5)…

Like many other Central Florida districts, Volusia County School District is growing rapidly, increasing by 1,500 to 2,000 students (and 60 new classrooms) per year. The area has a solid senior citizen voting block and a state tax structure based on very low property taxes, a 5 percent sales tax, and no income tax. Since state monies for new…

An optimistic creation of a desirable future for evaluators and evaluation is described. In 2083, Erica (the author's fictional evaluator) is assigned the responsibility for evaluating the education of all 3-20 year-old students in a given school area in Houston, Texas. Erica's work is divided into two parts: academic and social. Children are…

This final report presents a description of a 3-year project to develop and implement a model training program (for special education personnel, park and resource management personnel, and parents of disabled children) designed to promote outdoor environmental education for disabled children. The project conducted 22 training workshops (2-5 days)…

This paper addresses the problem of secondary school students who have difficulties in making early educational decisions which influence their college plans. The need to teach the vocabulary of college admissions to both parents and students, beginning in the elementary school, is emphasized. It is noted that the technical vocabulary of…

An informal and minimally organized international early childhood movement has slowly arisen from a combination of intellectual and social antecedents. Several reasons for the emergence of this movement can be cited: recognition of the crucial nature of the early years of life for children's social development and cognitive development; changes in…

At its meeting in August 1985, the members of the National Governors' Association formed seven task forces for the purpose of examining in-depth critical problem areas in American education. Focus was upon problems in the areas of: (1) teaching; (2) leadership and management; (3) parent involvement and choice; (4) readiness; (5) technology; (6)…