In 1978, the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, through its Head Start program, designed and implemented the Basic Educational Skills (BES) project to foster Head Start children's readiness for school and their subsequent achievement in elementary school. The purpose of this document is to disseminate elementary-level BES materials.…

This paper discusses the relationship of reading and television and describes a "critical viewing skills" program ("Spudbuster") for combatting the effects of prolonged TV watching. The paper enumerates helpful suggestions for both parents and teachers to ensure that children's television watching is not excessive and that what…

Described is a program which encouraged parents to become involved with their children in a science program at home. Discussed are the activities and organization of the program. A list of resources is provided. (CW)

The Bellevue (Washington) public schools' Spanish immersion program is described and program-related information is provided for parents. The description outlines general program goals and the basic educational assumptions underlying them, briefly chronicles the history of immersion education and of the Bellevue program, enumerates curriculum…

Noting the fragile relationship between parent participation and school reform, this book tells the story of the Charquin Program, an alternative public school program in Hayward, California, dedicated to parent participation and notable for its open classroom structure and intensely democratic practice. The introduction relates the history and…

The major purpose of this book is to describe the basis, features, and future of the whole language movement. Topics included in the book include: (1) a description of what is known about language and language development; (2) presentation of a whole language perspective on literacy development, involving both reading and writing; (3) presentation…

Two numbers of the CLEAR Materials Resource Series that both deal with teaching languages to children have been combined. Number two summarizes the status of foreign language immersion programs in elementary schools in the United States. For each of the 20 states with total or partial immersion programs, the following information is provided: (1)…

Describes a program to improve the reading skills of primary and junior level students by encouraging parents to listen to their child reading at home for at least 20 minutes daily. Notes program results including improved reading development, better home-school relationships, and increased circulation for school and community libraries. (JHZ)

This newsletter describes the 6-year Supporting Diversity in Schools (SDS) project that seeks to create school environments free of racial prejudice and privilege. It briefly describes the program's working themes: (1) giving a voice to people who have traditionally been silent in the shaping of classroom practices; (2) developing pride in…

This guide is intended as a reference for both parents and teachers concerning the design and objectives of two-way bilingual language immersion programs in elementary schools, including procedures and considerations in the creation of a new program. The first section looks at the role of language immersion as a form of enrichment education, and…

This handbook provides information about an innovative model, Partners for Valued Youth (PVY), that encourages "at-risk" students to stay in school and to set broader goals for themselves through a cross-age tutoring experience in which at-risk middle school students tutor younger, elementary school students. After a preface, the…

The Language School in Seattle has conducted extracurricular foreign language classes in 31 local elementary schools for several years. Each school has a parent coordinator, the courses are tuition-supported, and the objectives are to establish language learning interest and cultural awareness using the Total Physical Response method. A dramatic…