Are instructional aides colleagues of teachers, bridges to the school community, both, or neither? This study addresses this question by asking instructional aides about their relationships with teachers and parents and about their status in schools, and suggestions are made to create stronger bonds among these partners in education. This paper…

Family literacy programs reflect a recent trend in educational reform that has proven to be a successful educational model for all members of the family unit. Based on the literature that links family involvement to student achievement, these initiatives focus on empowering parents of school children. These programs have been particularly…

This study examined the development and effects of school-wide student-led conferencing (SLC) at four middle schools across four states, namely California, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. All site administrators, 30 teachers, and 524 middle school students and their parents in 30 classrooms participated in this study. Methodology included student…

Character education in American schools is experiencing a revival. Although the teaching of character waned from the 1960s through the 1980s, the rise in violent crime and a general feeling by the public that American children suffered a crisis in morals led to a resurgence of character education programs across the nation, with most states either…

Investigates sense of community at Midwestern school district's middle and high schools. Finds, for example, that regardless of school level, teachers rated "teacher to student" interactions and relationships significantly more positively than did students. Recommends schools' sense of community be enhanced by integrating opportunities for…

Examination of factors leading to successful educational partnership between Boston elementary school and parents. Finds several factors influencing parents' involvement. For example, school factors, specifically those that were relational in nature, had a major impact on parents' involvement. Draws several implications for research and practice.…

Seeks to identify factors related to parental involvement and investment having the greatest impact on the self-esteem of Hong Kong middle-school students. Finds, for example, that the effect of parental involvement on student's self-esteem is greater than that of parental investment, with home-based involvement having the strongest effect. Draws…

Reviews support for parent-involvement practices, documents how underutilized parent involvement is in the public-school system, and examines some barriers accounting for the underutilization of this beneficial teaching practice, such as conflicting beliefs about the ways parents should be involved. (Contains 39 references.) (Authors/PKP)

Describes benefits of an after-school mentorship program involving students in a teacher-education course at Minnesota State University and low-income youths between 9 and 13 years of age in the surrounding community of Moorhead, Minnesota. (Contains 17 references.) (PKP)

Case study of how elementary teachers in a rural New England community collect and process information about their students' families. Finds, for example, that teachers weighed information about families against their own knowledge, values, and perceptions based on their own experiences as a child or parent. Draws implications for policy and…

Discusses what is necessary for restructuring the roles and relationships among parents of adolescents and schools to achieve more meaningful partnerships. Describes needs of adolescents such as appreciation and belonging. Offers specific examples of how parents and schools can collaborate to build positive adolescent identities. Recommends how…

Presents the main finding of a nationwide questionnaire survey investigating the home-school liaisons in Cyprus among teachers and families in Cyprus primary state schools. Data analysis revealed that both teachers and families consider that present home-school links in Cyprus are restricted. (Contains 12 tables and 58 references.) (AUTHOR)

Examines parents through the lens of cartoons printed in educational journals. Suggests that journal editors share many ideas with educators, their readers, and that the ideas expressed in cartoons may be construed as anti-parent by preservice and inservice teachers. (Contains 3 cartoons and 20 references.) (WFA)

Examines how business-school partnerships tend to function on the fringe of educational issues, rarely addressing educational improvement. Looks at the causes of this phenomenon, the goals of businesses in forming partnerships, and the schools' role in maintaining the tenuous nature of these collaborations. (Contains 10 tables and 21 references.)…

Describes a study of students, teachers, and staff at one Brewer, Maine, elementary school. The purpose was to see whether benefits attributed to sense of community and belonging were present and, if so, what role Community of Caring played in creating such an environment. (Contains 1 figure and 16 references.) (AUTHOR)