The realization that many teachers view working with parents as the most challenging aspect of their job led to an ethnographic examination (within the context of an evaluation of the South Dakota Head Start/Public School Transition Demonstration Project) of parents' and teachers' expectations of one another. The demonstration group consisted of children and families receiving comprehensive Head Start-like services in addition to educational services, and a comparison group consisted of children and families receiving only educational services. Eight family service coordinators maintained routine contacts with families and schools and provided services directly to families or through referral to other agencies. Comprehensive services included health, parent involvement, social, and educational services related to transition from preschool to public elementary school. Data were collected in the spring of each year since 1993 from 200 of the 425 children in 2 cohorts who have received services. Kindergarten through third grade teachers at comparison and demonstration schools were also asked during structured interviews to identify both their greatest challenge as teachers and parents' role in education, while selected parents/caregivers at both sites were asked about their communication with the school. Results indicated that parents and teachers had adversarial roles at times and held different expectations. Teachers wanted parents to become more involved in the schools, yet parents believed they were already involved. Teachers believed that the schools communicated well with parents, but the parents disagreed. Parents and teachers found the most agreement in their desire for the educational success of children. (Contains about 54 references.) (KB)