Examines the major assumptions on which parental involvement in schools are based, beginning with Project Head Start. Emphasizes the importance of the ecological perspective which balances parental empowerment and parental education, and generates policies, programs and research goals that apply directly to the lives of Black families. (FMW)

This report identifies key issues for providing early childhood special education services to young children who are visually impaired and for working with families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. First, it discusses the incidence of visual impairment and associated disabilities among young children, the process of early…

This report provides an overview of the family information gathering process in early intervention. Family information gathering is an important element in the provision of early intervention services to families with children from birth to age 3 who have disabilities or who are at risk for developmental delays. A family's socioeconomic status,…

This book is about children who are living dangerously close to the edge, the edge of delinquency, mental illness, and poverty. Beginning with a discussion of the role of Joy Dryfoos in the development of comprehensive schools, this work is based on the Full Service Schools program which began in 1998 in three elementary inner-city schools in…

This book is an innovative approach to the primary prevention of child maltreatment. It focuses on the impact that child care providers can make in helping to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect in families with very young children. This research- and practice-based curriculum offers concepts, information, strategies, and practices focused on…

Child welfare personnel repeatedly move a lesbian youth from one inappropriate placement to another, subjecting her to constant rejection and discrimination and depriving her of a permanent home or family; Detention facility staff place a gay youth in isolation "for his own protection," depriving him of education, recreation, companionship, or…

This training module on transitioning young children with disabilities into preschool programs is from the Mississippi Early Education Program for Children with Multiple Disabilities, a program designed to train Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part H service coordinators and service providers to use family centered strategies.…

This document is a compilation of legislation on issues critical to children and families enacted during 1997 by the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The laws pertaining to various issues are listed by state and briefly described. Issues are: (1) abuse and neglect (including background checks and screening, court procedures, financing,…

Family preservation programs have long been used to prevent foster placement of children by providing services to the entire family. This manual presents the model for the Boys Town Family Preservation Program and discusses the foundations of in-home treatment, including cultural and family differences, community resources and networking, family…

Indian Child Welfare Act became federal law in order to prevent abuses of power by state agencies, courts, and church groups which disrupt Indian families by placing American Indian children in foster care in non-American Indian households. This article studies the impact of the law and discusses a case study of three American Indian children. (FC)

Educational reform presents a number of challenges for elders, tribal educational leaders, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers and administrators, and families across the United States, including the pressing need to address parent or caregiver and community involvement in education. This study was conducted to (a) summarize major…

The authors describe various parenting behaviors, such as nurturance, discipline, teaching, and language use, and explain how researchers measure them. They note racial and ethnic variations in several behaviors. Most striking are differences in language use. Black and Hispanic mothers talk less with their young children than do white mothers and…

In too many communities, child care, health care, and other family supports and services are rarely coordinated and are too frequently determined by where families live, their level of income, and their community connections. Policy initiatives at the local, state, and federal level influence how communities are able to develop more…

Small towns and rural places face numerous barriers to development. In response, the four Regional Rural Development Centers serve as regional and national networks to catalyze, initiate, facilitate, and evaluate research and educational programs that have potential to improve rural economic and social well-being. Such programs focus on developing…

This final report describes a pilot project, "Quality Service Provision for Infants and Young Children with Deaf-Blindness: A Mechanism for State Intervention Teams," developed and implemented at the University of Southern Mississippi. The project developed a model of an intervention team that provides intensive training and technical…