A bilingual survey was developed to register the feelings of parents toward involvement in their children's preschool and kindergarten and to determine the unique needs of parents during interactions with the schools. The survey was tested with 50 parents, and the results were tabulated to determine differences between the feelings of Hispanic and…

This 1997 study followed up the Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher 1987: Strengthening Links Between Home and School, comparing current teacher and student opinions on parental involvement in education with those of teachers and parents in 1987. Teachers and students, grades 7-12, completed surveys on actual versus desired level of…

This study explores, from a critical-theory perspective, the relationship of power among stakeholders in either a mandated or voluntary elementary-school-site decision-making body (SSDMB). The purpose is to describe, explain, and clarify complexities regarding the influence exerted by parents on the decision-making process in two selected…

This policy paper provides a list of questions and associated strategies that parents and parent organizations can address in an effort to ensure that statewide assessment systems fully and fairly include students with disabilities as required by the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other federal laws.…

This digest summarizes the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA 97) with emphasis on changes in the new law. First, it highlights principal changes in the law. These changes include participation of children and youth with disabilities in state and districtwide assessment programs; the way in which…

This book synthesizes research findings on creativity and talent development. Part 1, "Definitions and Processes of Creativity," discusses the definition of creativity, creativity and psychology, federal definitions of giftedness and creativity, psychological research on creativity, traditional theories of the creative, common descriptions of the…

Despite a strong and persistent interest in fathers and concern about their absence in children's lives, there is little information on the complex ways fathers make contributions to their families and children. Six major topic areas were covered by panels of experts during the conference: (1) economic, sociological, psychological, and…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for at-risk parents designed to improve family reading and thus prepare at-risk children for school. The program, "Ready for Reading," consists of three two-hour sessions conducted with parents at their children's school while the children are in pre-kindergarten classes in various…

This module presents the philosophical perspective that the fostering of family/professional partnerships is an integral part of effective service delivery to young children with disabilities. The module addresses the issues involved in nurturing the development of dynamic working relationships with families. The issues include: (1) understanding…

An evaluation was done of New York City Board of Education's Project, Guidance Oriented Acquisition of Learning Skills (Project GOALS) for 1989-90. The project, in the first year of a 3-year funding cycle, provided 340 students of limited English proficiency (LEP) from various ethnic backgrounds (including Asian, Hispanic, Eastern European, and…

This document evaluates the 1989 and 1990 Reading Improvement Program, which aimed to enhance and support 330 local schools in the implementation of Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools' goals for reading and language arts in kindergarten through grade 6. The program focused on improving instruction and reading achievement. Program features included…

The High/Scope Curriculum is a developmentally based approach to early childhood education. The curriculum's "Extensions" newsletter, in which the articles in this collection first appeared, informs curriculum users about new developments relating to the High/Scope "open framework" curriculum. The articles are presented in…

This printout forms an annotated bibliography of publications on the Federal Chapter 1 Program for the education of disadvantaged children (mandated by the Education Consolidation Improvement Act of 1981 and its predecessors) from the ACCESS Clearinghouse of the National Committeee for Citizens in Education. ACCESS provides computerized…

This compendium provides 73 programmatic approaches for involving parents in their children's education. These strategies demonstrate the broad range of ways in which principals and teachers communicate with parents and work to help them support their children's learning. The strategies are organized into six categories. The first is home-school…

This document relates the experiences of individuals who have embraced the concept of developmentally appropriate practice in kindergarten and made the effort to translate their understandings into practice in public school settings. The book's primary authors are a kindergarten teacher, an elementary school principal, a school superintendent, and…