This document is comprised of volume 2 of a quarterly bulletin for educators in Australia providing a practical focus to improving boys' schooling. The April 1999 issue focuses on the role of school executives, or administrators, on supporting educational initiatives. This issue includes articles describing the development of a program-based…

Alaska has been forced by geography and weather to look at numerous innovative solutions to improving communication between families and schools. The Internet is showing more impact than any other technique that has been tried. This has been especially helpful to parents of children with disabilities, due to a severe shortage of special education…

This booklet is intended to facilitate the full participation of Minnesota parents of children with disabilities in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. The booklet begins with a brief discussion of what an IEP is, when IEPs must be in effect, IEP meetings, the IEP team, and parent participation. It next stresses the necessity of…

A case study of an economically distressed rural Kentucky school district examined the theory that educational policy can enable community participation and that participation can enable policy implementation by affecting school governance and expanding the services provided. Primary data were gathered via interviews with four parent participants,…

School district associations across the country have often opposed charter school legislation as strongly, or more strongly, than have teachers unions. They typically argue charter schools will threaten the tradition of local control of schools by elected officials, drain their financial resources, and distract them from pursuing…

This report summarizes some Austin Independent School District (AISD) parent and community involvement activities for the 2003-2004 school year.

Teachers, parents, and students on the White Mountain Apache reservation perceive school activities quite differently, indicating parental isolation and a lack of communication among the groups. Although students tend to agree with teachers more than with parents, teachers alone feel students are inadequately prepared for postsecondary school…

Two studies examined the efficacy of school-based exercise and nutrition programs with parent components. Elementary students participated in exercise and nutrition programs with or without home components. School/home program students scored significantly higher than the groups with no home component on tests of nutrition and fitness knowledge,…

A study examined the influence of cultural programming on American Indian students' school outcomes. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze survey data from 240 urban American Indian students aged 9-18. Cultural programming moderately, and largely indirectly, influenced student outcomes. The strongest predictors of school success were…

A four-year intervention targeted students' fruit and vegetable consumption in 12 Archdiocese of New Orleans (Louisiana) high schools. Focus groups shaped program development. Intervention included schoolwide media marketing, food identification, workshops and activities, and parental involvement. Process, outcome, and impact measurements…

Focuses on factors that thwart true school-parent partnerships in the development and education of children. Factors include a family's socioeconomic status, democratic issues, the creation of school systems, gender bias against women, teacher priorities, racism, and classism. (Author/BB)

Evaluates the quality of care and services in for-profit and nonprofit government subsidized and privately supported child care centers and addresses fundamental issues confronted by policymakers and debated by child care practitioners. (BB)

Describes the Family Math program for elementary school students and their families in Springfield (Massachusetts). Goals include the following: (1) increase minority parent participation; (2) overcome math anxiety; and (3) encourage mathematics participation. (FMW)

Describes the University of Texas Systems schools' Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program, which successfully addresses complex issues related to low educational achievement of Hispanic females. This statewide community and university collaboration supports girls from eighth grade to matriculation into college, with mother-daughter dyads participating…