Twenty-four questions regarding school choice concerns are answered in this document, which advocates school choice in public schools for Massachusetts. The following issues are included: the rationale for school choice; drawbacks to currently available choice options; components of an effective choice plan; the definition and maintenance of…

A workshop designed to familiarize teachers and administrators with developmentally appropriate issues and practices for use in early childhood education is described in this presenter's guide. The workshop is process-oriented, meaning that participants engage in activities that require them to absorb and share new information. Activities include:…

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…

Parents of children attending a K-3 elementary school in New Mexico were surveyed by mail to examine Mexican-American and Anglo-American parental involvement in the school. Of 264 parents contacted, 24 Anglo-Americans, 19 Mexican-Americans, 1 African-American, and 6 individuals who did not identify their ethnic affiliation completed a…

This booklet describes the Power Hour of Homework program for elementary school through secondary school students, including tips on implementing the program at home (i.e., checking homework, talking to the teacher, determining the correct amount of homework time for individual students) and survey responses to questions from parents and students.…

An evaluation of a prekindergarten program was conducted to assess its merit and to assist in the formative revision of program activities. The program operated in a public elementary school in a rural area close to a metropolitan area. Classroom observations, telephone interviews with 25 parents, surveys of 2 elementary school teachers, and…

Reviews of research, studies of early readers, and investigations of emergent literacy uniformly conclude that parents' beliefs, aspirations, and actions affect their children's growth into and embracing of literacy. However, conflicting results call into question the utility of simply correlating race or various socioeconomic factors, such as…

This paper describes the implementation of a program at a preschool that served as a training laboratory for college students in early childhood education. A series of interviews and questionnaires indicated that parents and teachers were interested in improving parent involvement in preschoolers' education. A training program designed to address…

Chapter 1 is a program funded by the Federal Government to help children who are at a disadvantage in school. Parents have many questions about Chapter 1 programs. This brochure presents many of the questions that parents have asked over the years about how Chapter 1 works. Because every school district's Chapter 1 programs are different, the…

This practicum report describes the implementation of a pilot program that used packets of learning materials to incorporate individualized instruction into a traditional curriculum in a kindergarten classroom. Objectives of the program were that 80 percent of students would demonstrate improvement in basic readiness skills, and that 90 percent of…

This report provides background information and summarizes a 1990 seminar on the parent/professional partnership in the implementation of Public Law 99-457. Topics considered in the seminar included eligibility under Part H of the law, early intervention prior to P.L. 99-457, the process of the legislation, future of the legislation, timing of…

This booklet offers parents guidance on teaching their children attitudes, learning skills, and study skills that will help them succeed in school. Section 1 focuses on the creation of a shared learning environment in the home. Parents are encouraged to set limits, establish routines, provide a secure atmosphere of encouragement and support,…

A practicum developed a whole language kindergarten at-home reading program. The target group was 27 sets of parents of children in a kindergarten classroom who volunteered to participate. The objectives were to increase the parents' knowledge of whole language techniques; increase their level of comfort in using whole language techniques at home…

Noting the current educational trend toward early intervention for at-risk preschool children, this paper examines issues surrounding programs for children at risk. Chapter 1 presents an historical review of the European and American infant school movements, the day nursery movement, nursery and emergency nursery school movements, and Head Start.…

This study compared students with learning disabilities who participated in open enrollment in Minnesota with their nondisabled peers, in terms of reasons for transfer, source of information about open enrollment, parent involvement with the school, and demographics. The study involved a survey of 59 families of students with learning disabilities…