After observing the lack of parental involvement in children's educational development among clients, an instructor determined to learn if offering incentives to parents to work with their child/children would increase parental involvement. Working in an adult basic education/General Educational Development parental assistance program with…

This report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project designed to provide training and technical assistance to families and professionals working with children and youth with severe disabilities in developing and implementing effective educational programs in school and community environments. The project was implemented in collaboration…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a national program designed to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by working with low-income families to improve adult literacy, parenting skills, and developmental and preschool readiness of young children in the family. The Monongalia County (West Virginia) Even Start Program is unusual in that…

Fourth in a series designed to provide early childhood educators with ideas and strategies for applying High/Scope principles, this idea book focuses on working with the parents of young children and presents 30 one-hour parent workshops in five areas. The book's introduction presents guiding principles for working with adult learners, discusses…

Noting that family literacy can work effectively to break the cycle of undereducation, this book examines the history of the national family literacy movement, discusses the role of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), and presents guidelines for designing and developing a family literacy program. The book's introductory section…

At-risk elementary school students and their families often have little support for social and academic growth from community members and from parents. This study examined the impact of an 8-month program to increase advocacy from community volunteers, use volunteer help, and provide weekly parent seminars on the quality of students' school…

Describes PACT (Parents and Children Together), a project designed to help parents create a wholesome environment for the child so that the child can remain in or be returned to the home. Failing this, PACT offers documentation to the social service agency so that the child can be permanently placed. (CT)

In seven articles, addresses parenting issues within social and cultural contexts. Overviews values placed on parenting and presents a conceptual framework considering the intersection of occupational and family roles across life cycles. Reviews effects of parenting throughout the adult life cycle, discusses emerging theoretical models, and parent…

An interactive model of language intervention that targeted specific vocabulary was evaluated in a study of 16 mothers and their preschool children with language delays. Children in the experimental group used more target words and acquired more symbolic play gestures than those in the control group. Mothers in the experimental group reported a…

Discusses the impact of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on the developmental processes of infants. Excerpts from three case histories are presented to highlight physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive impairment in infants. (Author/BB)

Describes a collaborative project between California State University, Los Angeles, and an urban elementary school that fostered conditions for parent involvement in the school and home-school cooperation. Workshops, English classes, and a parent mentor program were features of the successful effort. (SLD)

Provides an overview of the programs and activities of Parent Child Incorporated (PCI), a human services agency in San Antonio, Texas. PCI oversees or administers various Head Start, nutrition, family day-care, child-care, health, parenting, and adult education programs. (MDM)

This study of 20 mothers and their fluent children (ages 3-5) found no significant differences between the effects of instructions to slow maternal speech rate and instructions to slow and simplify maternal speech. Children's speech rate and language complexity did not parallel maternal adjustments, which is problematic for parental involvement in…

Explores issues of parent involvement in light of current educational reform movements, asserts that parent involvement as a voluntary effort may not be effective, and argues that businesses and industries interested in reform are not focusing sufficiently on work-related variables that might encourage involvement of parents and other adults. (SLD)

Presents one kindergarten teacher's daily classroom experiences in a speech to the National Governor's Association Action Team on School Readiness. Advocates continued and increased state funding for preschool programs, parenting, and health care services to ensure school readiness, especially among high-risk (disadvantaged or disabled) children.…