The National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD) affirms the importance of transition as a critical component of successfully progressing from secondary school to college or university for students with learning disabilities. Although NJCLD has addressed secondary to postsecondary education transition planning in a previous paper,…

This article offers excerpts from a live, reflective supervision between supervisor (Deborah Weatherston) and supervisee (Faith Eidson) and is followed by their intimate exploration of the process. In revisiting the supervision, they share personal and professional observations that reveal their vulnerabilities and their strengths. They identify…

Education and outreach bring science to the general public, engage families, and ignite a passion for science in youth to seek careers in STEM. However, engagement in science depends on access, and language can be a major barrier. To ensure a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community in the geosciences, we are calling for a community of practice…

The authors reflect on how they, as social work practitioners, support the school systems in supporting homeless youth and families. They emphasize the importance of relationships and trust in working with this vulnerable population. The reflexive vignettes highlight the challenges and success of developing community-based programming for homeless…

Karen L. Mapp--former Deputy Superintendent for Family and Community Engagement for Boston's schools and noted researcher and author on how schools can partner with families--talks with "EL" editor Naomi Thiers on the need to approach engaging family caregivers in students' learning in a new way, starting with emphasizing active…

Historically there has been a huge gulf between families and residential programs serving their children. This contradicted classic studies showing that family involvement is the cornerstone for successful outcomes with children in out-of-home care. But in spite of frequent early calls for such inclusion, the family was historically considered to…

From the nefarious achievement gaps, to the racial isolation in increasingly segregated schools; from the digital divide that results in kids not having access to computers, to the poverty gulf that results in kids not having homes; from boys' reading difficulties and girls' problems with math, to the disparities among rural, suburban, and urban…

This commentary is informed by the author's multiple perspectives as a parent of a 12-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, as a social worker, and as a critical disability advocate and activist. While the author occupies these subject positions simultaneously, they are not necessarily always confluent with one another. She struggles with, and is, at…

Collaboration in an applied development context has the power to be transformative at the institutional, communal, interpersonal, and individual levels. This commentary seeks to share one story of collaboration-building as a way to explore the concept of reciprocal transformation in cross-national collaboration more broadly. The authors discuss…

This report provides a detailed examination of the various federal programs for children and families and outlines ways in which the United States Congress and Executive Branch could make these programs work better. Intricate and often overlapping goals and actions are typical of the Congressional committees and Executive Branch departments that…

Argues that shortcomings in program implementation and evaluation contributed to failure to demonstrate effectiveness of the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP). Articulates lessons from the CCDP, including addressing roles of demonstration projects and their evaluations, problems in evaluation early in program implementation, the…

This Texas state plan presents proposals for provision of services to people with autism. It is noted that less than 25 percent of the estimated 8,500 persons with autism in Texas are currently receiving services. Preliminary sections look at the nature of autism, the numbers of Texans with autism, the responsibilities of the Interagency Council…

This paper briefly defines parent involvement in education, outlines several factors that are fueling new state interest in programs to strengthen families, describes programmatic initiatives in several states, and examines some of the issues states have faced in their efforts to craft effective community-based programs that are responsive to…

This article offers guidelines for designing inservice education for personnel working with young children with disabilities and their families. Discussion covers definitions, assumptions, support and start up, initial planning, program design, evaluation, implementation, and follow-up. It identifies special considerations and circumstances…

Describes as example a parents' center in London to examine impact of evaluation exercises on people and services being evaluated. Questions whether evaluators are measuring the right things, whether evidence is valid, and what effects an evaluation may have on services. Identifies features of research and evaluation that are most likely to…