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By: Carole Cox (2012)
Oral history is a method to learn about past events from the spoken stories of people who lived through them. When students conduct oral history research with members of their families or community they are participating in active learning rooted in the student's own experience. Students are actively engaged in collecting data when they do oral histories. Not only are they learning history, they are learning to be historians.
By: Elaine Mulligan and National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) (2011)
Learn the answers to 10 commonly asked questions that families and educators of students with disabilities have about charter schools. You'll also find links to state-specific resources that can help you better understand how charter schools work in your individual state.
By: Reading Rockets (2011)
Get ready for a great school year. Discover ideas for planning a sparkling back-to-school night, creating a literacy-rich classroom that is welcoming to all students, establishing an effective 90-minute reading block, building parent engagement, and more.
By: Reading Rockets (2011)
Get ready for a really great school year. Find out what to look for during your school's open house and back-to-school night, tips for helping your child make a smooth transition from summer to school, how to establish homework routines, and even a booklist full of wonderful school-themed picture books to share.
By: Ruth Heitin (2011)
Learning how to write individualized IEP goals is an important first step in developing your child's IEP. IEP goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, use action words, realistic, and time-limited) and based on research-based educational practice.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
Homework is important, but helping children with homework isn't always easy. Here are some ways you can make homework easier for everyone!
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
No one wants to start their day in a frenzied mess of untied shoes and breakfast in hand as the school bus approaches. Follow these five short recommendations for smoothing out those rough mornings.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
Our Top 8 back-to-school tips for parents emphasize communication, organization, and staying up-to-date on special education news.
By: Kandace Wernsing and Reading Rockets (2010)
Our top 10 back-to-school tips for special education teachers emphasize communication, organization, and a focus on student success.
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
It's time to head back to school. And while kids are stuffing their backpacks with new school supplies, we're packing a different sort of bag here at Reading Rockets — one filled with resources to help make one of the most important evening events of the school year really sparkle — back-to-school night.
By: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) (2010)
By: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) (2010)
By: Reading Rockets (2010)
Some parents are reluctant to contact their child's teacher. Don't be! A quick conversation or email exchange can solve simple misunderstandings, or make it clear that a longer, more formal conversation is needed. Here are three situations where parent contact is appropriate and even encouraged.
By: Reading Rockets (2009)
Back-to-School Night is a great opportunity for families to learn more about their child's school and teacher. Here are some signs to look for that indicate your child is in a place where good reading instruction can take place.
By: Reading Rockets (2009)
When the back-to-school bell starts ringing, parents often hear and read school-related terms that are unfamiliar to them. Below are three terms and descriptions related to reading instruction that may help give you a better understanding of what's happening in your child's classroom and what it all means for your young learner.
By: Kristina Robertson (2009)
English language learners can benefit from field trips that provide an experience that enhances classroom learning. It can be overwhelming for a teacher to think of organizing all the details of a field trip, but with some planning beforehand and a few extra steps, field trips can be very successful! This article offers some ways to make the field trips with ELLs go more smoothly and to provide students with a meaningful academic experience.
By: National PTA (2009)
How can you express appreciation for a teacher who has educated and inspired your child? Here the National PTA offers ideas for parents, students, and schools to say a meaningful "thank you."
By: Yoo-Seon Bang (2009)
Informed by the author's work as a researcher and as a Korean parent of a child in a U.S. public school, this article offers suggestions to guide educators in understanding and supporting the involvement of cultural and linguistic minority families in their children's schools.
By: Project Appleseed (2008)
Does your school do a good job of reaching out to parents? Use this checklist to evaluate and improve parent-school partnerships.
By: Kristina Robertson (2008)
How can you hold an effective parent-teacher conference with the parents of English language learners if they can't communicate comfortably in English? This article provides a number of tips to help you bridge the language gap, take cultural expectations about education into account, and provide your students' parents with the information they need about their children's progress in school.
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
There are many people at your child's school who are there to help your child learn, grow socially and emotionally, and navigate the school environment. Here's a selected list of who's who at your school: the teaching and administrative staff as well as organizations at the district level. You might want to keep this list handy all year long.
By: U.S. Department of Education (2008)
The U.S. Education Department provides these tips for parents about how to be involved in your child's school, and what to do if problems arise.
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
By: Reading Rockets (2008)
Many New Year's resolutions focus on developing healthy habits. Here's one that is important to make and keep: provide a regular diet of books and reading for your preschooler. Try this menu of reading activities:
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.
By: National Summer Learning Association (2007)
Informal literacy experiences often serve to shape young people's identity as readers and writers as much as or more than formal schooling.Community and family support can emphasize the importance of reading and writing, build confidence, influence young people's literacy habits, and encourage youth to seek out ways to engage in literate activities. Through a renewed national push for literacy on all levels, both families and community members have diverse opportunities in which to impact students' literacy skills.This article offers strategies to develop community engagement.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
During the holiday season, consider adding some new traditions for your family that will make meaningful memories and strengthen foundations for reading and learning success.
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.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
Some preschools schedule meetings during the year to talk about your child's progress. Here are some tips to make the most of those meetings.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
Parent-teacher conferences are a great opportunity for families to sit down one-on-one with your child's teacher and talk about school progress. Here are some tips to make the most of this time.
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.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
Preschool provides a wonderful opportunity for your child to make new friends, socialize, and learn from an adult. Starting preschool is an exciting (and sometimes nervous!) time for little ones and parents. A few tips might help you and your child get off on the right foot.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
By: U.S. Department of Education (2007)
Parents have a growing array of options in choosing a school. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; the rapid growth of the charter school movement; the increasing number of states enacting voucher, scholarship, and tax credit programs; the expansion of privately funded scholarship programs for low-income children; and the growing acceptance of homeschooling have all increased the choices available to families. This article describes the different types of schools that may available in your community.
By: U.S. Department of Education (2007)
How do you pick the best school for your child? The following sections have questions for you to consider as you go through the process of choosing a school for your child. Remember, you are looking for a school that will make the educational experience for your child and you as rewarding as possible
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.
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
Favorite stories get shared many times over. Here's some advice about how to find a good children's book and what to do once you're reading together.
By: Deborah J. Taub (2006)
Professional school counselors can be more effective in their work with parents of students with disabilities — as well as with the students themselves, the students’ teachers, and other students — if they understand parental perspectives. Parents' areas of concern are described, and implications for school counselors are discussed.
By: The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (2005)
Research shows that parent involvement can improve students' behavior, attendance, and achievement. But how can schools foster high-quality, successful parent involvement? The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement offers some research-based advice and resources to help.
By: Amanda Fenlon (2005)
Entering kindergarten can a joyful but also an anxious time, particularly for parents of children with disabilities. These best practices can help make for a smoother transition: using a collaborative team approach to involve families, setting transition goals, and focusing on the needs and strengths of individual children.
By: The Education Department (2005)
What can you do to make the first day of school happier for both you and your kindergartener? Here are six things you can do to set your child on the path to school success.
By: Amy Stuczynski, Joyce Riha Linik, Rebecca Novick, and Jean Spraker, et al. (2005)
Writing is a new way for young children to tell their stories and express themselves, but they are also learning valuable lessons about print concepts and letter-sound relationships when they put pen to paper.
By: Amy Stuczynski, Joyce Riha Linik, Rebecca Novick, and Jean Spraker, et al. (2005)
Children can learn about family heritage at the same time they are improving their literacy skills. Using family-based writing projects, you can build a connection with parents, and help children see the value in their own heritage and in the diversity around them.
By: Amy Stuczynski, Joyce Riha Linik, Rebecca Novick, and Jean Spraker, et al. (2005)
Literacy activities can take on a new meaning when students are reading and writing about their own community. Children learn the true value of print when they document the oral histories of the elders in their town.
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.
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.
By: Colorín Colorado (2004)
Here are ten things you can do to help your child succeed at school!
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.
By: Hermine H. Marshall (2003)
Many families are under the mistaken impression that holding their child out of kindergarten for an additional year will be beneficial, that it will give the child the gift of time. But families need to be aware of the possibility of too little challenge and the potential negative effects of holding children out.
By: Judith Gold and Akimi Gibson (2001)
This article discusses the power of reading aloud and goes a step further to discuss the power of thinking out loud while reading to children as a way to highlight the strategies used by thoughtful readers.
By: Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (2000)
Parents are often the best educational advocates for their children, especially children with a learning disability. The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (CCLD) has developed the following tips to help parents champion their child.
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.
By: Catherine Snow, Susan Burns, and Peg Griffin (1998)
Socioeconomic differences are conventionally indexed by such demographic variables as household income and parents' education and occupation, alone or in some weighted combination.
By: Catherine Snow, Susan Burns, and Peg Griffin (1998)
Knowing children with a family history of difficulties are more likely to have trouble learning to read means that efforts can be made with these children to prevent difficulties from developing.
By: Texas Education Agency (1997)
As children learn some letter-sound matches and start to read, they begin to write words and sentences. Seeing how words are spelled helps children in reading and writing.
By: Margaret Mulhern, Flora V. Rodriguez-Brown, and Timothy Shanahan (1994)
For language minority families, learning English is a key component of family literacy programs. This article describes questions to consider when establishing a program for language minority families.
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