As the limited success of Boston Public Schools' Compact shows, school-business partnerships need to consider the time interval between investment and results. Several partnerships focusing on particular portions of the curriculum have had remarkable effects. A sidebar provides general guidelines for establishing school-business partnerships.…

According to a Pittsburgh study, all families, regardless of socioeconomic status, have similar preferences concerning the nature and conduct of school communications. Parents view a "professional," businesslike manner as undesirable, whereas a personal touch (or timely information presented informally) is most likely to win parents' esteem.…

Explains two phases of Tennessee's statewide efforts to strengthen parent-school partnerships. One phase I program is based on Purkey's "Invitational Education" concept aiming to increase parent and community involvement. Phase II models include "Active Parenting,""New Parents as Teachers," and an "Operation Fail-Safe" intervention program.…

From 1986 to 1988, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory sought to identify and describe the characteristics of promising parent involvement programs in their five-state region. They found seven essential elements, including written policies, adequate administrative support, training, a partnership approach, two-way communication,…

The staff at Emerson School in Rosemead, California, believe the keys to parent involvement are appropriate recognition and constant communication concerning students' positive achievements, through phone calls and letters of praise in several different languages. (MLH)

Identifies five types of parent participation, including basic obligations of parents and schools and parental involvement at school, in home learning activities, and in governance and advocacy. These types occur in different places, require different materials and processes, and lead to different outcomes. No one model serves all purposes. (MLH)

Although time does not permit in-depth interaction with all parents, educators should work with parents of "target" children for whom ongoing communications may be the difference between success and failure. Contacting these parents early in students' school life and school year will help tackle problems before they escalate. (MLH)

Insights gained in home visits can enrich the curriculum, influence the arrangement of classroom space to reinforce children's sense of ownership, and reduce first-day "surprises." Principals who encourage home visiting find that parents are more likely to become allies with teachers and administrators and enhance their children's learning…

At a Calgary, Alberta, elementary school, students were included in the March parent teacher report conferences. The practice generated overall positive feelings concerning benefits for students' learning experiences. Parents gained valuable insights into the teacher-child relationship. Recommendations for adopting this practice in other schools…

The TransParent School Model linking telephones with computers enables teachers to communicate daily with parents regarding children's learning activities, homework, and ways for parents to support the child's study at home. Electronic mailboxes can expand the system's message-storing capacity. Includes eight references. (MLH)

Even schools with well-developed volunteer training programs overlook vast opportunities for curricular enrichment through use of parent volunteers' varied skills. These are three categories of parents' competencies: skills in hobbies and crafts, direct knowledge and experience concerning occupations, and knowledge about different cultures. (MLH)

A new national PTA kit, "Math Matters; Kids Are Counting on You," can help all parents make a difference in their children's education. Suggested home activities include doubling cookie recipes, surveying and graphing family ice cream flavor preferences, filling in football "stat" charts, and other tasks easily performed on a calculator. (MLH)

Describes a principal's positive experience with parent surveys to help gauge how parents view a St. Louis (Missouri) school's educational program. All questionnaires contain Likert-scale items (ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"). The surveys are excellent tools for opening lines of communication. (MLH)

Dynamic home-school-community partnerships established through site councils can help produce improved schools that serve their communities better. Parents on the council must be careful to represent diverse segments of the student body. Members need both proper orientation and a constitution to be effective. Includes three references. (MLH)

Reliance on the "delegation model" in public education has created a fundamental gap between families and schools. The Accelerated Schools Project has helped two poverty-afflicted, minority-populated elementary schools in the San Francisco Bay Area enlist parents and mobilize community agencies to achieve shared improvement goals. Includes seven…