A program was implemented to provide a community-based living and work experience for students with mild/moderate mental retardation making the transition from high school to adult life. The program focuses on independent living skills, vocational education, and functional academic instruction. It incorporates shared resources, community-based…

Describes how family literacy programs help increase adult literacy levels, broaden reading skills for children, and foster good reading habits for all family members. The recipients of Bell Atlantic/American Library Association Family Literacy Project grants are listed, their programs are summarized, and 11 clues that can help determine a…

Suggests that public school education in the last 50 years has been altered most dramatically by the interstate highway system and no-fault divorce. Blames the highway system for destroying the sense of community and capacity for delayed gratification and challenge. Argues that no-fault divorce has resulted in loss of family values and…

Administered psychosocial scales based on concept of social bond to measure alcohol use among 466 college seniors. Found that three psychosocial scales used accounted for 81 percent of variance in current alcohol use. Perceived Parental Approval of Teenage Drinking and Drinking Standards had moderate effect on alcohol use, but Tolerance of Minor…

Describes the Parent-Teacher Action Research Project, a multisite collaborative action research project involving eight schools that are part of the national reform network, the League of Schools Reaching Out. In project schools, teams of parents, teachers, and, in some cases, principals and students collaborate on family-school-community…

This paper examines relationships and interactions among the consumer (with a developmental disability), his or her family, and agency staff as they impact the consumer's life course and lifestyle. Approaches and activities to enhance effective relationships include setting policies that support these relationships, training staff with this…

Two cohorts of students attending an alternative school for chronically disruptive youth received either the standard program or the standard program with additional family involvement. The experimental group experienced statistically significant improvements in locus of control, grade point averages, attendance, and reduced dropout rate, relative…

Presents the use of family involvement webs to integrate diverse family life experiences to support the same education objectives. Describes steps to develop and implement family involvement webs, including identifying a theme, brainstorming family involvement activities, identifying family roles, implementing the web, and evaluating the outcome.…

The Prescribed Pediatric Center (Toledo, Ohio) is a community-based, multidisciplinary program for infants and children with chronic, complex medical conditions. This article describes program beginnings; the planning process; and the program's growth, development, and components. Initial program evaluation indicates positive effects on some…

The Families First program in Oregon's Marion County Education Service District provides 130 Hispanic families with the support, resources, and reinforcement needed to participate in the culturally appropriate education of their preschool children in a home environment. Besides attending twice-monthly topical meetings, one member of each family…

This commentary summarizes findings from previous articles on system-of-care mental health programs for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. It addresses characteristics of participating children and families, system measurement system development, costs and sustainability, and family participation in program…

Discusses the importance of parent involvement in increasing student achievement. Highlights include program ideas for PTA (Parent Teacher Association) and media specialist partnerships; the National PTA Standards for Parent and Family Involvement; technology education programs; and the role of library and media specialists. (LRW)

Analyzes a sample of 695 elderly adults to determine the elasticity of informal social support systems in response to declining health and the effects of such support on their health outcomes. Findings indicate that the extent of informal support is more likely to be bound by the social support network size than by the demand for care associated…

This commentary on "The Effects of Family-Centered Service Coordination: A Social Validity Study" (Romer), discusses the challenges of implementing family-centered service coordination and variables such as caseload size, models of service coordination, and models of staff development that might have an impact on these challenges. (CR)

This article discusses the outcomes of a project that used a community development framework to implement change in early care and intervention services in two culturally diverse communities. It describes how community forums and parent leadership training assisted in change efforts and lessons learned from implementation and evaluating reforms.…