This theme issue of "Focal Point" offers an overview of a range of children's mental health case management issues. Articles include: "Case Management for Families and Children" (Theresa J. Early); "Expectations of Case Management for Children with Emotional Problems: Parent Perspectives" (Richard Donner and others);…

This outreach program for black parents is based on the knowledge of how much they care about their children. It identifies some of the ways that black parents can become involved in their children's schooling. Black organizations and churches have historically championed the cause of education for black children, and this program adds a tool for…

Several trends are significantly affecting the early childhood education field, with the major accomplishment of crystallizing the scope of early childhood education as birth through 8 years of age. These trends and innovations include the following: (1) restructuring early childhood education programs, by introducing formal schooling,…

This guide presents questions that parents frequently ask about their children's school along with answers to those questions. The questions and answers were prepared based on the results of studies conducted by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the GTE Foundation, and by the National Center for…

Intended for use in training staff concerned with building bridges between the family learning environment and Head Start, this guide broadens the idea of "parents as teachers" beyond the instructional role parents play, by looking at the entire family learning environment. Following an introductory section, the guide presents four…

This paper presents the initial findings from an ethnographic case study, focusing on the mixed-method research strategy used in the MacArthur Comprehensive Child Development Project Follow-up Study. The aim of the study was to expand the understanding of children's developmental trajectories as they traverse the elementary school years.…

For many years, efforts to improve public schools centered on increased funding, teacher training, tougher curriculum (fewer electives, more math and science), and stiffer graduation requirements. But, from all of these attempts at reform, a basic concept became clear to the nation's educators: major reform of the public schools will not occur…

This report is the third in a series of research reports on a 4-year study of private and public school-choice programs in San Antonio, Texas. Two choice programs are the focus of the study. The first program is the Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation, which provides partial scholarships to low-income children for use in private and…

This printed guide is designed to accompany a 60-minute television program (available on videotape) on positive parenting, including: the use of time, discipline, respect and responsibility, and community parenting, with interviews with Mary Pipher of "In the Shelter of Each Other" and Dr. Bruce Perry (Baylor University), who conducted the…

Highlighting the positive effects of parent involvement in schooling on children's achievement, this set of overhead-projector transparencies for staff training provides a rationale and strategies for encouraging parents to actively participate in their child's schooling. The overheads define family involvement, note research and opinion on the…

This annual report details the effectiveness of the state's program in preparing at-risk children for kindergarten and the early grades in Illinois. Divided into six areas, the report presents statistical data to describe the following: (1) program participants; (2) change in program participation since its inception in 1986; (3) program's ability…

This guide is intended to help parents and practitioners utilize natural settings to meet the developmental and health-related needs of infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. The mission statement of the Connecticut Birth to Three System is summarized and the term "natural settings" is elaborated on. Federal…

This document is comprised of the two 1998 issues of a magazine for parents, teachers, and others involved in cooperative nursery schools. The magazine is designed to provide a forum for views on dealing with young children, express a variety of ideas, promote the cooperative philosophy, and to enhance the relationships of those involved in…

In an effort to promote females' achievement in science, the Sisters in Science program was developed. Conducted in 2 schools in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), the program's inaugural year involved 60 fourth-grade girls in 2 elementary schools, an intergenerational corps of 20 women volunteers, 150 undergraduate elementary education students, and 8…

The Families in Education Program sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is dedicated to nurturing a family-community-school partnership and provides this packet for schools to use throughout the year to promote families and learning. The articles in the packet contain ideas for making family-community partnerships work in the…