Information from meetings on the legal aspects of child sexual abuse is used a starting point for a discussion of risk management and program improvement plans intended to safeguard child care center staff from unwarranted accusations. A full-page chart of "Self-Defense Strategies" is included. (DR)

Encourages teachers to share appropriate information about books and reading with parents in order to influence storybook reading in their students' homes. (MG)

The smaller the school district, the higher the achievement, when the socioeconomic status and per student expenditure are taken into account. Administrative and parental involvement should be determined by the size of the school district regardless of the socioeconomic level of the community. (BJV)

Examines the influence of a regular book borrowing service designed to enable and encourage parents to read to their children. Finds no statistically significant difference between control and experimental groups on a reading test, but finds an unexpectedly high level of parental interest. (RS)

Nine gifted learning-disabled children with organizational skill deficits were put on a structured timetable of after-school activities. Parents were taught behaviorally based discipline techniques designed to reduce disruptive family behavior. Improvements were subsequently observed in the middle school students' home and school behavior, school…

Examines the use of reading diaries, in which parents of poor readers recorded their child's reading activities at home. Indicates that children made a mean gain in Reading Age Score of 6.3 months after five weeks of using the reading diary approach. Reports positive change in reading attitudes for both parents and children. (MG)

Examined effects of school improvement program on elementary students' (N=306), teachers' (N=98), and parents' (N=276) perceptions of school and classroom climate, student achievement, and attendance. Compared to seven control schools, seven participating schools showed significantly greater improvement in students' and parents' perceptions of…

The available evidence indicates that home school youth of compulsory education age have been scoring equal or better than their conventional school peers on measures of cognitive achievement and desirable affective traits; the significance of this is discussed. (BJV)

Early amplification is crucial to efficient habilitation and development of oral communication skills in hearing-impaired infants. Initial evaluation and fitting of amplification is a joint effort by the audiologist, therapist, and parents, whether the child uses traditional hearing aids or cochlear implants, and should be supplemented by a…

This article introduces a self-determination curriculum, Learning with PURPOSE, intended for adolescent students with disabilities or students at risk for failure. It identifies critical self-determination skills, defines self-determination, outlines the curriculum, and notes the curriculum's parent component. (DB)

An integrated model for preservice and inservice teacher training in transition for students with disabilities consists of three phases: (1) transition preconditions and planning; (2) transition phase; and (3) transition outcomes. Interagency collaboration and parental/student input are central to effective transition throughout the process. (DB)

Maintains that it is difficult to recruit and retain male students into vocal music programs. Asserts that if student attitudes are shaped positively in the early grades, it is more likely that male students will continue to participate. Provides five suggestions for recruiting male students at the middle and secondary grade levels. (CFR)

A roundtable discussion by 13 educators from 6 school districts participating in the School-Community Connection initiative of the Institute for Responsive Education highlights the problems and successes of implementing programs aimed at community and parent involvement in the schools. Participants clearly advocated bringing community members into…

Describes parent-child activities during storybook reading, suggesting that interactive reading (constructing meaning) is more developmentally enriching than attending to story. Found that Curacaoan mothers were more concerned with child's understanding of story than with constructing meaning. Argues that parents should be trained in dialog that…

Stresses the importance of understanding the world views of diverse cultural groups and acknowledging differences in communication styles and patterns when planning transitional services for disabled minority students in rural areas. Includes suggestions for effective transition planning for culturally diverse students and their families. (LP)