Discusses elements of effective school newsletters: (1) the director's message, to convey philosophy; (2) school news, especially activities for parents; (3) parent education articles; (4) parent profiles, to maintain interest; (5) school needs, to solicit volunteers; (6) children's names in print highlighting their accomplishments; (7) staff…

Examines the scope of volunteer efforts in Coldwater, Ohio, a small rural community of approximately 4,400 people. Describes how diverse volunteer organizations developed to address community needs and their impact on community improvement, local activities, and area schools. (LP)

Describes how parent volunteers assisted in implementing the educational technology plan of public schools in Howard County, Maryland. Discusses involvement in the planning; assistance in the library media center; training; help in labs and classrooms; and assistance in technology-related staff training. (AEF)

Analyzes gender-related issues among adults and children in small groups during a discovery activity. Focuses on gender bias in verbal interactions. Findings indicate that the parent volunteers exhibited the most gender bias in their verbal interactions with children while the teachers exhibited no gender bias in the same context. (DDR)

Describes how two teacher education service learning programs illustrate alternative interpretations of scholarship, describing a tutoring-mentoring program in a teaching oriented masters institutions and a motor skills development program in a land grant doctoral research institutions relative to how each illustrates forms of scholarship as…

Explains President Clinton's "America Reads Challenge," a promising initiative that brings together volunteer literacy and reading tutors from the community, working to supplement and support the primary work of classroom teachers. At the heart of the new initiative is the understanding that a good start to a strong education requires…

Assesses the extent to which students' attitudes toward international understanding are effected by an intensive two-year service-learning program. Research results generally supported the hypothesis that students who are involved in service learning show larger increases in international understanding than students involved in volunteerism or no…

Analysis of college students participating in a dream interpretation session found that compared to nonvolunteers, students who volunteered had more positive attitudes towards dreams, recalled dreams more frequently, were more open, were higher in absorption, and were more often female. Helpful aspects of dream interpretations included insights…

Provides suggestions on how music teachers can encourage parent involvement in students' music education. Identifies six techniques for parental involvement in education that are based upon the ideas of sociologist Joyce Epstein. Includes a list of resources. (CMK)

Canada World Youth enables young Canadians to live in another part of Canada with youths from a developing country for several months while volunteering in community projects. Then they move as a group to the partner country for several months where the program structure is the same. Participants acquire the skills and values necessary to…

These handouts describe: Respecting Differences to Find Common Ground (a PTA program to provide parents with ideas and resources for talking to their children about respecting diversity); tips for parents on helping their children understand and respect differences; and the Our Children Newsletter, which contains excerpts from the March 2002 Our…

A survey of 850 first-time university students assessing interests in campus volunteer opportunities and the relationship between incentives and interest found students did not differentiate between serving as a volunteer, earning course credit as a volunteer, and earning a monetary award as a volunteer. Implications for student affairs are…

The development and current status of Friends of the Library groups in Canada and the United States are discussed. Suggestions for forming a group and fostering cooperation between the Friends and the library are offered. The resulting benefits to the library and the community are explored. (25 references) (CLB)

Outlines the six elements from educational research that enhance the value of community service programs. Summarizes three school-based programs: Community Involvement Program in Minnetonka, Minnesota; Early Adolescent Helper Program in New York, New York; and Youth Community Service in Los Angeles, California. (SLM)

Presents a procedure used at one cooperative preschool to orient parents and volunteer participants to a developmentally appropriate program. (BB)