Expectations for family involvement and professional behavior are different when working with families of children who use adaptive technology than they are with families of other children with special needs. The article addresses some of the differences, describing family and professional roles in assessment, interpersonal communication,…

Chicago's Recovering the Gifted Child Academy is a small, grant-maintained middle school serving 45 disadvantaged, underachieving urban students. Led by Corla Hawkings, the school has extended class hours, Saturday classes, and a business-like ambience. It features business dress, time cards, paychecks with school money, student-run businesses,…

Assessed the quality of home and out-of-home care environments, child temperament, and the development of verbal abilities among infants at 18 months and then at 8 years of age. Found that both tested and rated cognitive abilities at age 8 were related to earlier measures of verbal ability and to paternal involvement during preschool years. (MOK)

This article begins by defining family-centeredness and then reviews and integrates available evidence about family-centered practices in early intervention, preschool, and elementary and secondary schools. For each educational level, findings from studies that investigated program models, practitioner behaviors, family-oriented practices rating…

Examines cultural factors affecting black and Hispanic deaf students' achievement, discussing socioeconomic status and single parent families, parent educational levels, non-English speaking environments, inadvertent effects on the deaf child, family view of disability, and parent-school interactions. Notes strategies for developing parents as…

A pilot project that created a school Web site and e-mail service demonstrated the importance of information technology to Montreal (Quebec) 4th-grade students and their teachers. E-mail allowed teachers to have more efficient and less time-consuming communications with parents and allowed parents to more closely engage in their children's school…

Describes what the Tellin' Stories Project (TSP) Action Research Team discovered about meaningful family involvement during a 3-year study of teachers', students', and parents' stories of meaningful family roles. The TSP uses the power of story to engage parents, primarily from diverse low-income backgrounds, as purposeful partners in education.…

Describes the development and implementation of the Activating Children through Technology (ACTT) computer curriculum in Parents and Child Together (PACT) Head Start classrooms in Springfield, Illinois. (BB)

Argues that music activities in early childhood education foster a variety of developmental skills. Analyzes Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, contending that music intelligence is a separate intelligence. Provides ways to identify and promote musical intelligence. Suggests methods for encouraging musical development. Using songs…

Describes the success of the Escalante Math Program in East Los Angeles in teaching mathematics to poor minority students. Fundamental principles of the program include the following: (1) accountability; (2) hard work; (3) demand; (4) love; (5) parental involvement; (6) respect and values; (7) nutrition; and (8) drug use prevention. Discusses…

Southeast Asian refugee youth in the United States must contend with significant cultural differences and long-term adjustment stress. While struggling to develop an adult identity, these adolescents must also work through the trauma of being refugees, adapting to a new culture without relinquishing the heritage fundamental to their development.…

The preschool program of Reggio Emilia, Italy is discussed in terms of its commitment to the community, its project- and art-based curriculum, its use of space to support curriculum goals, and characteristics of its environment. Implications of the program for American education are discussed. (BG)

Elements of a successful Head Start program are described. These elements are provision of comprehensive services, parent involvement and family support, a commitment to meeting local needs, training and technical assistance support, and use of a collaborative approach. Anecdotes about two Head Start parents and a former Head Start participant are…

Discusses school power structures. Cites the following examples of "bottom-up" authority: (1) vouchers; (2) magnet schools; and (3) open enrollment. Suggests a new model in which the larger school districts function as "holding companies" and individual schools function as "subsidiaries" of the parent company. (FMW)

A father relates his family's efforts to provide early stimulation to a son diagnosed with cerebral palsy and visual impairments. As the boy developed, he listened to audiotape recordings of music and nursery rhymes, explored household objects, watched television, played computer games, and was eventually enrolled in a mainstreamed kindergarten.…