Researchers have identified four types of at-home parental engagement consistently associated with school performance: actively organizing and monitoring children's time, helping with homework, discussing school matters with children, and promoting reading activities. Research has not consistently linked parents' in-school engagement and student…

Schools cannot meet challenges of reform without first doing a better job of connecting with parents and the public. According to Public Agenda reports, educators are out of touch with typical views of parents and the public. Most people are doubtful about advocated practices such as detracking, holistic reading, early use of calculators, and…

When rapid growth and major educational changes created turbulence in Verona, Wisconsin, educators and community members used six strategies to weather the storm and improve conditions. They moved from controversial to less emotional issues, stressed consensus in decision making, imported a neutral listener, developed a forum for dialog,…

Founded in 1977, "Communities in Schools" champions the connection of needed community resources with schools to help 300,000 youngsters annually to learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. The program brings in community-service providers, such as health-care and mental-health professionals, to work as a personalized team alongside parents,…

Parents in Anchorage, Alaska, and Rochester, New York, have been rating their children's teachers. From these report cards arise three major concerns: how well teachers know and care about teaching, about their children, and about communicating with parents. Educators can capitalize on parent reports, on getting credit for what they do well, and…

Authors of "The Roller Coaster Years" (1997) advise how middle-level educators can turn wary, disinterested parents into allies. Teachers should welcome parents, advertise their own expertise, implement an early-warning system, portray children positively, convey shared values, reassure parents about children's safety, demonstrate insider…

To emphasize the belief that parents are a child's first teachers, the National Parent Teacher Association has developed new guidelines that support family involvement in schools. To improve family involvement, educators should create an action team, examine current practice, develop an improvement plan, develop a written family/parent involvement…

As a Leadership School in the (California) Bay Area School Reform Collaborative, Hawthorne Elementary has implemented wide-ranging programs for parents and students, including TRIBES, conflict mediation, a health and dental clinic, and a parent center. Hawthorne successfully developed whole community consensus-building, decision-making and…

In our rapidly aging society, the support of older adults is critical for public education. Older taxpayers are not as racially diverse as the school children affected by their votes. Although a few districts have recognized senior citizens as rich, untapped resources and implemented systematic intergenerational programs, most efforts are…

Recognizing senior citizens' importance to the community and its schools, the Marion County (Florida) Public School District determined to improve older adults' involvement. Activities included a senior advisory council, an annual school-visiting event, and computer-assisted instruction for older adults. Another initiative, "100 Grandparents," has…

With a predetermined agenda, real engagement cannot occur, even if stakeholders help shape the substance of some components. Gaining public and professional support depends on developing engagement strategies (assessing needs, reporting results, and establishing strategic direction) that embody fundamental principles, such as reciprocity,…

A seafaring school-to-work program in Kealakekua, Hawaii, encourages community members to help high school students rediscover ancestral roots and prepare for the future. On both ocean and land, students learn an integrated core curriculum of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Community professionals and business leaders…

In "Operation Just Read," a teacher leadership team used action-research procedures to identify a problem (low independent reading levels), obtain baseline data, analyze results, formulate a rationale, implement a program, collect data, analyze results, and arrive at conclusions. Schools can increase at-home independent reading for the average…

Richmond (Vermont) Elementary School offers a workshop in elementary-school mathematics for parents. By refreshing their math skills, parents are better able to help their children at home. Many parents who learned math through rote memorization do not understand current approaches to problem solving, such as drawing pictures, making charts,…

In Rankin Inlet, a remote Innuit community in the Canadian Arctic, an elementary school/business partnership has provided every citizen with access to the latest Internet-related technologies. Students at the Igalaaq Centre have their own e-mail accounts and Web pages, and use technology to record and share information about Innuit culture and…