Families and Schools

New Year's Resolution: Help Your Kids Do Well in School

By: Rachael Walker (2007)

It is a new year according to the calendar, but in most schools, we’ve just reached the half-way point. Resolve to be involved in your children’s education in new ways this year. Studies show that kids whose parents are involved in their education have better grades, a better attitude toward school, and more appropriate school behavior than those with less involved parents.

Family Literacy Bags: A School-to-Home Project

By: Reading Rockets (2007)

The home is the child’s first classroom and parents are the first teachers. Parents who read to their children everyday and talk about what they are reading together promote a joy of reading and literacy achievement. How can teachers encourage reading at home and support the role of parents as educators? One way is through the use of Family Literacy Bags — a theme-based collection of books and related interactive activities that kids bring home from school to share with their family.

The Parent-Teacher Conference (Pre-K)

By: Reading Rockets (2007)

The Parent-Teacher Conference (K-3)

By: Reading Rockets (2007)

Building Parent-Teacher Relationships

By: American Federation of Teachers (2007)

Effective communication is essential for building school-family partnerships. It constitutes the foundation for all other forms of family involvement in education.

Easing Into Preschool

By: Reading Rockets (2007)

Easing Back Into School

By: Reading Rockets (2007)

Top Tips for Engaging Dads

By: National Literacy Trust (2007)

The U.K.'s National Literacy Trust offers ideas that schools and nonprofit organizations can implement to get fathers involved in their children's reading.

Surviving the Difficult Parent-Teacher Conference

By: Laurie Fry (2004)

The parent-teacher conference can be a stressful time for both parents and teachers – even more so if your child possibly has a problem. This article offers strategies for getting the most out of the conference, and also includes stories from veteran teachers of successful (and not-so-successful) parent-teacher conferences.

Ready to Read: Heading for the Classroom

By: U.S Department of Education (2004)

What parents do or don't do in the preschool years has a lasting impact on children's reading ability. Learn some facts about the importance and need for literacy experiences in the primary grades.

Facts About Reading Aloud

By: U.S Department of Education (2004)

Reading to young children promotes language acquisition and correlates with literacy development and, later on, with achievement in reading comprehension and overall success in school.

Helping Your Child Succeed in School

By: Colorín Colorado (2004)

Here are ten things you can do to help your child succeed at school!

Seeking Help for a Struggling Reader: 8 Steps for Parents

By: Reading Rockets (2004)

What should you do if you think your child is having trouble with reading? Sometimes children just need more time, but sometimes they need extra help. Trust your instincts! You know your child best. If you think there's a problem, there probably is.

How Parents Can Be Advocates for Their Children

By: Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (2000)

As your child's best advocate, you are in a unique position to identify and implement positive changes. This article gives advice on how to be effective. You should know the rules, keep records, gather information, and communicate effectively.

Family Literacy Programs

By: Wendy Schwartz (1999)

Family literacy programs help parents improve both their parenting and literacy skills while providing young children with early childhood education. The parenting component often includes in-home visits and enrichment activities. Learn more in this overview of the components of family literacy programs.

Even Start: Building on Families' Existing Strengths

By: Wendy Schwartz (1999)

The best family literacy programs share certain curricular components, but are tailored to meet the needs of the diverse families they serve. This digest describes how Even Start has led to the development of many different family literacy programs.

The Role of Teachers and Schools in Communication

By: Holly Kreider, Ellen Mayer, and Peggy Vaughan (1999)

For parents to be comfortable interacting with schools, they must often bridge language and culture differences. Here are recommendations for getting involved that open the lines of communication.

Helping Parents Communicate Better With Schools

By: Holly Kreider, Ellen Mayer, and Peggy Vaughan (1999)

Good communication between parents and teachers has many benefits. When parents and teachers share information, children learn more and parents and teachers feel more supported. Good communication can help create positive feelings between teachers and parents.

Raising Children With More Than One Language

By: Annick De Houwer (1999)

Many children are raised with a home language different from the language at school, and this has given rise to many misconceptions about language learning. This will help parents learn the facts, and get information about helping their second language learner.

Family-Based Risk Factors

By: Catherine Snow, Susan Burns, and Peg Griffin (1998)

Knowing that students with certain family backgrounds and experiences are more likely to have trouble learning to read means that efforts can be made with these children to prevent difficulties from developing. For example, children with a family history of difficulties or with little exposure to books are at increased risk.