An ethnographic study examined the attitudes of Chinese American families toward success in school and learning. The first cohort of 5 families stayed in the study for 3 years, while the second cohort of 5 families stayed for 2 years. All the first cohort children and two from the second cohort were from the same Boston (Massachusetts) school. The…

In-depth interviews were conducted with early childhood teachers and parents in two counties with similar characteristics in Sweden and the United States. Inductive analyses revealed differences in responses between informants at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. At the macro-level were considerations of overall societal issues and general…

This guide for trainers offers a comprehensive child-centered perspective on training field workers in early childhood education. The theme of the role of play in child growth, development, and learning runs throughout the guide while its form, a series of structured exercises to help trainers handle all aspects of the subject, emphasizes the…

This book suggests an approach to education that includes students' family members as valuable citizens in a community of learners which also includes students, teachers, and other members of the community at large. Part 1 examines current trends in parental involvement and the hidden assumptions on which many such programs are based. It is argued…

A pilot survey was conducted to explore why some young African American men living in cities stay in high school and why others drop out. Between October 1993 and March 1994, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 360 young black men aged 17 to 22, randomly drawn from census tracts in New York (New York), Chicago (Illinois), Los Angeles…

This report describes the outcomes of research that investigated school reform, school-linked services, parent involvement, and community school programs in schools in 36 states. Results found that services were often added on to school sites without any intent to integrate them with school reform; teachers were not directly involved in services;…

The research project described in this paper represents an effort to consider family literacy as an evolving and problematic issue and to study participants' resistance to or misunderstanding of program goals. The project began as an intervention designed to address the increasing number of low-income children entering school without fundamental…

Caminos Bilingues al Exito (Bilingual Pathways to Success), a comprehensive Title VII Bilingual Education program was established in 1995 to serve the 17 schools of the North Area Management District of the Houston Independent School District (Texas). Through teacher training, staff development, parental involvement, and instructional program…

This report presents the results of a survey of teachers', parents', and the general public's views on the impact of the National Curriculum on Primary Education in Great Britain since the passage of the 1988 Education Reform Act. Chapter 1 of the report introduces the survey and presents a general review of the survey's findings, while chapter 2…

A case study of parental involvement in a seventh grade interdisciplinary activity, called "International Fair," at a Middle School is described and interpreted. The International Fair, the culmination of the work of student groups, involved students preparing booths representing the cultures of different countries and dressing up in…

These three guides provide information on the third module of an early intervention program for at-risk kindergartners who show the early signs of antisocial behavior patterns. The third module of the "First Steps" program is a six-week home intervention component that instructs parents in skills for improving their child's school…

In August 1993 the Des Moines (Iowa) community created a new type of neighborhood school by placing an elementary school close to where the parents work, rather than where they live. This school, the Downtown School, serves a diverse community of students, emphasizes parental involvement, and implements current research in education. This report…

The Austin Independent School District (Texas) developed the Accelerating Literacy Program (ALP) in 1993 to provide additional support for students who were having trouble passing the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) in the elementary grades. The ALP operates on the principle of integrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking…

This theme issue focuses on strategies to enhance learning of English as a second language and on the importance of bilingual education. In "Bilingual Education Makes the Difference in Learning," Roberto Feliz, who was born in the Dominican Republic and is now a doctor, describes how bilingual education saved him from academic failure…

According to the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education, the main elements of a drug-free education program should focus on valuing and maintaining sound personal health; respecting laws and rules prohibiting drugs; resisting pressures toward drug use; and promoting student activities that are drug-free and offer healthy…