This document, prepared by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's (AEL) School Family Relations Program, contains research of six special needs families: families with handicapped children, families with low socioeconmic status, minority families, rural Appalachian families, single-parent families, and two-job families. The synopses are based on an integration of literature reviews, secondary analysis of parent surveys, and interviews with school principals and counselors. Each synopsis covers historical background and trends, family characteristics, special problems, reponses of the schools, and future goals, and provides selected references. (BL)