The Wayson School Climate and Context Inventory (SCCI) was used in previously reported comparative studies of six good high schools in Tennessee and Kentucky (three in each state). This study added data for three similar high schools in North Carolina to bring the pool of data to nine schools, making possible the determination of similarities and…

Focusing primarily on what parents can do to help children up to 10 years of age with reading, this booklet offers activities designed to lay the foundation for children to become lifelong readers. The first section of the book offers some basic information about parents reading to their children. The second section offers suggestions to guide…

This lecture describes the legal status of parental rights pertaining to German schools, and ideas about the practical problems of cooperation between parents and schools in Germany, especially under the auspices of a multicultural society. Four legal parental rights are listed: (1) the right to decide if their child should attend private or state…

This newsletter contains seven articles related to the educational rights of culturally diverse language-minority students. "20 Years after Lau: In Pursuit of Equity Not Just a Language Response Program," by Alicia Salinas Sosa, points out that educational responses to Lau vs. Nichols have been minimum-compliance programmatic responses…

A state-wide survey of public attitudes about education in Connecticut conducted by Public Agenda, supplemented by focus groups and a survey of educators and community leaders, suggests that the Connecticut public is ambivalent about support for education and for proposals to integrate the schools. Resistance seems to stem from the public…

This prevention training program was created in response to the emergency situation in Community School District 3 in New York City. The program goal was to provide intensive staff development to 275 school personnel, from all segments of the educational community, in the skills and information necessary to provide substance abuse prevention…

Schools of choice are fast becoming part of the national debate on educational reform. This study, part of a larger study of schools and families, examined how the work context of teachers and opportunities for parent involvement differ under different choice arrangements, and investigated aspects of the sociobureaucratic context of teachers' work…

The Schools Reaching Out program attempts to help urban public schools change their relations with low-income parents and their communities and to move closer to academic and social success for all children. The program, initiated in 1988, has grown into the 89-member League of Schools Reaching Out. The New York Cluster of Schools Reaching Out was…

Two things in particular could change the status of students of color in our elementary and secondary education system and make improved academic achievement possible. One is providing role models that students can relate to in the classrooms, and the other is getting families involved in their children's education. A study on family life and…

In efforts to make parents feel more welcome at school and to increase their involvement, a number of schools are creating parent centers--providing parents with a room of their own in the school. Part I of this report examines the role of parent centers in strengthening family-school relationships through case studies of four parent centers in…

The Reggio Emilia preschools in Italy have much to offer U.S. early education practitioners. If adapted, based on an understanding of American culture and of how American children learn, four components of the Reggio Emilia model can be useful in American early childhood settings. First, projects based on the interests of children can be used to…

A practicum was designed to increase the lines of positive and effective communication between parents and teachers in a preschool setting. Poor parent-teacher communication (due to lack of knowledge or experience) was documented. The program sought to improve communication regarding the child's developmental and personal progress. The 8-month…

In 1994, Utah migrant education summer programs in 10 school districts provided education and support services to 2,468 children of seasonal and migrant farmworkers. Although the program is federally funded, school districts provided various support services, such as transportation, use of staff, availability of school buildings, availability of…

The High School and Family Partnership Project began in 1991 with two urban, two suburban, and two rural high schools in Maryland to learn more about whether basic theories, frameworks, and practices of family, student, and community involvement are appropriate at the high school level; how schools can develop and implement such practices; and how…

Significant steps have been taken by the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) project since its formation in 1970. The founders of MESA began a campaign, first in high schools, and later in middle and elementary schools, to convince educators, parents, and students of the importance of raising standards for the minority children…