Reports a study that examined the effects of combining home and classroom reading of multicultural storybooks on middle class Caucasian elementary students' awareness of and attitudes toward other cultures. Surveys of students who did and did not participate in story reading indicated positive gains for story participants and negative change in…

Emphasizes the value of broadening student teachers' understanding of family and community involvement in their students' education, reviewing recommendations for including family involvement in undergraduate teacher education, suggesting family and community involvement themes for foundation courses, and arguing the value of community-based…

A study examined the effects of parent involvement and expectations on academic achievement among 567 Black and White middle school students in 18 Seattle (Washington) schools. Parent and teacher surveys indicated that parental involvement was the highest contributor to academic achievement among White students, whereas earlier educational…

The Youth Services Director of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC, has involved the community in encouraging children to read with summer reading programs, story-telling festivals, author and illustrator visits to schools, family reading programs for babies through kindergartners, and a year-round middle school reading…

Offers a brief history of library youth services and the political strategies behind them. Topics include the role of women, outreach programs of public libraries, tax support, library development after World War II, federal legislation and funding, National Library Week, school libraries, parent involvement, collaborative partnerships, and…

Contends that educators and caregivers are still constrained in relationships with parents, respond with resentment and stonewalling when parents express uneasiness about pedagogical practices, and too frequently treat parents and children from other cultures differently. Suggests that true dialog may transform practitioners as educators, children…

The Family and Child Education (FACE) Program was instituted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an early intervention program to integrate Native American parents, families, and schools through family literacy, parent education, and culturally relevant early childhood education. Describes a FACE program at a Navajo community school, with examples…

Examines transition of children from home or preschool to school in Australia and New Zealand. Almost all Australian states have a "reception" or kindergarten full-day year in school prior to Year 1, few have common entry ages, and most use a variety of enrollment procedures. Emphasizes need for continuity to smooth transitions and…

The importance and urgency of rural education to each state was assessed using seven and nine indicators, respectively. The Mid-South Delta, central Appalachia, coastal Southeast, the north Plains, and northern New England emerged as priority rural education regions. The most important urgency indicators were teacher salaries, computer use, school…

This article discusses the importance of early intervention advocacy and provides vignettes that illustrate sample early intervention advocacy issues from the perspectives of parents, teachers, and program administrators. Quick tips are provided for professionals as self-advocates and for family advocacy, along with legislative Web site resources.…

Examines parents who teach their children at home. While families have complex motives for home schooling, a common factor is parents' desire to maintain or further develop family unity, and to resist the effects of urbanization and modernization on the family. Suggests benefits of home/public school partnerships. (AF)

An elementary school in a poor neighborhood in San Francisco has confronted the problem of at-risk students through the turnaround strategy of accelerated education. The Daniel Webster School and schools in Redwood City have used cooperative learning, parent and community involvement, and increased student expectations to challenge traditional…

Recent developments in infant mental health are outlined, with implications for work with at-risk populations. Discussed are: the biobehavioral-developmental perspective, the infant as a social being, the infant-caregiver relationship, the transactional model of the infant-parent relationship, assessing developmental disabilities, conceptualizing…

Reviews the following historical phases of the recent home school movement: (1) parents' contentions about public schools; (2) home school parents' confrontations with schools and the courts; (3) cooperation between public schools and home schools; and (4) consolidation of home schools. Introduces the other articles in this issue. (BJV)

Describes the experiences of American educators on a tour of "kindergarten" (preschool) programs in China, and highlights the major characteristics of child care and preschool in that country. Addresses funding, staff training, enrollment, child-staff ratios, health and immunization, parent involvement, politicization, materials and…