This exploratory survey was conducted to gain a detailed understanding of the home and community literacy experiences of children, adolescents and adults with Down syndrome. The data were collected from 224 parents/guardians across Canada who were asked to indicate literacy goals and priorities for their children with Down syndrome, the literacy…

As recent trends in education reform and research stress the importance of school-home partnerships, teachers will need preparation for working successfully with parents and other family members. This paper examines teacher preparation in parent involvement for early childhood and K-12 teachers. Surveys of state certification requirements and…

This compiltation of articles provides ideas and solutions for creating and improving family, community, and school partnerships. A broad variety of topics are covered in the 20 articles of this issue, including: (1) ideas to help parents improve the thinking skill of their children; (2) four models of parent involvement developed by the Superior…

Providing strategies for parents to use to show their children how to take an active role in their own learning, this book discusses developing successful study skills, how speaking and listening can enhance your children's reading and writing skills, and techniques to help children expand their vocabularies. It focuses on helping children how to…

This document, provided here in separate English and Spanish versions, is a collection of informational and instructional sheets for parents of young children, divided into 20 thematic sections. Each of the sections includes information on the topic area, some learning activities, and questions for discussion. The sessions are: (1) "Getting…

This book argues that efforts to improve the effectiveness of public schools are ironic and harmful to the family. It asserts that "pushing schools toward becoming one-stop service centers" whose mission is to care for the "whole child" is at the same time decreasing parents' responsibility to care for their children, turning schools into…

Issues of child protection, child abuse, and delinquency have generated public and academic concerns about the ability of adults to underwrite the physical, moral, and social welfare of children. At the same time, recent educational reform has provoked debate about the shifting balance of power between parents and teachers. This book combines…

Recognizing that approaches to solutions for irresponsible fatherhood may be grounded in either our legal and economic systems or the moral climate--or both, this book focuses on what can be done to strengthen families and improve the lives of children by encouraging responsible fatherhood. The introduction describes a man who behaves responsibly…

Parents face many concerns in raising their children today, none more profound than their children's education. This book provides a "road map" for parents to take a proactive and central role in their children's learning. The book's prologue notes that effective leadership is crucial to pupil learning, and provides an introductory sketch of this…

Though not a new concept, child effect has yet to be integrated into mainstream research. This book offers a review of what is already "known" but generally ignored in the area of how children affect their parents, what kinds of children most affect their parents, and what characteristics in parents make them especially vulnerable to…

This paper discusses the key role of information in helping minority group parents and students gain access to postsecondary education and offers a descriptive framework for understanding information needs and availability. The framework is a taxonomy of the kinds and types of information needed by students and parents in order for the student to…

The program goal of family literacy is to use early intervention to break the cycle of illiteracy perpetuated by parents' undereducation. This paper describes family literacy as a dropout prevention strategy that should be most heavily concentrated on the prenatal through 8-year-old child; a child ready for school is less likely to become a…

Noting that greater family participation in early childhood programs is a widely-held goal, this report addresses the fundamental skills that early childhood teachers and caregivers need to fully involve families in their young children's lives at school and the child care center. The report defines those skills in four areas of a community of…

Child care and early education have been acclaimed by advocates in Great Britain and the United States as the key to economic and academic success, the basis for social justice and equality, a business opportunity, and the remedy for poverty, welfare dependency, crime, and educational failure. This book examines the research basis for these…

Intended for parents, teachers, and other caregivers, this set of guide booklets presents simple and effective skills for communicating with children and adolescents on a variety of child-rearing and life-safety issues including sexuality and drug abuse. The 23 booklets are:(1) "How To Set Guidelines for Teenage Parties"; (2) "What To Teach Kids…