Child Trends, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, invited a variety of stakeholders from across the country to attend a meeting in May 2016: "Building Our Future: Strategies for Investing in Early Childhood." The goal of the meeting was to learn more about various types of…

In honor of National School Psychology Week, the NASP Government and Professional Relations (GPR) and Communications committees and NASP staff joined forces on a campaign to help elected officials on Capitol Hill learn about the positive contributions of school psychologists and how their services impact student mental health and learning. This…

Questionnaires were completed by 217 parents of handicapped children to determine their present level of involvement and their desired participation in the education process. The sample (a rural population in central West Virginia, a suburban population in affluent school districts on Long Island, New York, and a city population from a mixed set…

An ecological model for service and advocacy for handicapped children through a residential diagnostic center is presented. Such a model is explained to provide a meaningful interrelationship of varied resources and agencies at the local, state, and federal level with a focus on the generic program. Four positive interfacing functions relating to…

The author describes the Parent Advisory Council for Exceptional Children of Baltimore City, an urban center program designed to increase active parental participation through formal and informal training which emphasizes Black student/parent rights and due process. Parents participate in a 6 week intensive training program with activities…

This paper presents guidelines for creating a collaborative approach for communication among teachers, parents, and students to plan for their transition toward further education or work in adult life and to become informed self-advocates. Guidelines for teachers are presented and include: (1) establishing a system that places the student at the…

The paper examines staff and parent advocacy training for special needs preschool and Head Start children. The author outlines the rights and responsibilities as stated in federal and state legislation, and the aspects of advocacy not usually considered, such as maximizing the resources to provide an appropriate program. Suggestions are given for…

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues related to parent participation in American Indian education. Issues and problems were in the areas of: (1) the importance of parent involvement for student achievement; (2) the…

This report of a conference session dealing with recreation and leisure activities for people with deaf-blindness and other profound multiple disabilities contains three papers and a working group report. The title paper by Lori Goetz reviews "model indicators" for recreation and leisure educational programming with individuals who have severe and…

Thumbnail sketches of four schools in Edmonds School District (Washington) illustrate ways they have built strong parent and community relationships: parent volunteers in a parent-cooperative school; a family-oriented neighborhood school; a school offering school-based health and social services; and a Cyberschool that provides resources to…

PTAs in the northwest are regaining momentum and membership by becoming involved in advocating for education reform, seeking funding, promoting child safety, seeking equity, addressing discrimination, providing school enrichment programs, establishing site-based management councils, involving parents in educational decision making, addressing…

Part of a larger study examining family involvement in children's special education programs, this study looked at the involvement of 9 fathers in the special education programs of their children (ages 5 to 16). Individual interviews and focus groups were employed to gather data. Three main themes emerged from analysis of interview and focus group…

Reflecting the renewed interest in a variety of plans to increase parent and citizen participation in education, this paper divides the questions surrounding this issue into the following four categories: co-production (partnership), decision making, citizen advocacy, and parent choice. Under each of these categories the paper considers such…

Reviews research and current trends and issues related to family involvement in children's education. Discusses the need for diverse approaches to involving culturally diverse parents; growing awareness of the importance of fathers' involvement; factors that promote or impede parent participation; achievement-related factors that parents can…

The current status of and future prospects for the nation's children and their families are discussed in this progress report by the director of the Office of Child Development. Successes of the Head Start program are noted, with particular mention of the parent involvement component. Other early intervention programs are cited, many of which…