CUR 530 - Teacher Leaders: Readings and Resources

An innovative road map to help parents bring creative play, quality relationships, and a sense of confidence and personal safety back into their kids’ lives One only need turn on the TV, stroll the aisles of any toy store, or visit any American elementary school to witness the formidable social trends that, over the past few decades, have begun to erode the quality of kids’ lives—from media violence and rampant consumerism, to overly structured school days and overly wired (yet emotionally disconnected) relationships. What parent doesn’t think back longingly to a time when carefree play with other kids and a simpler life was the norm? Childhood should be a precious time of oasis from the realities of the adult world, yet in today’s fast-paced, achievement-obsessed, ever-more-dangerous society, this is increasingly not the case. Based on renowned early childhood development expert Nancy Carlsson-Paige’s thirty years of researching and writing about young children, this groundbreaking book helps parents navigate the cultural currents shaping, and too often harming, the lives of kids today and restore childhood to the very best of what it can and should be. There are three attributes critical to all children’s healthy development, Carlsson-Paige explains: time and space for creative play, a feeling of security in today’s often frightening world, and strong, meaningful relationships with both adults and other children—attributes that we, as a society, are failing to protect and nurture. Grounded in child development theory and research, Taking Back Childhoodreveals practical, hands-on steps parents can take to create a safe, open, and imaginative environment in which kids can relish childhood and flourish as human beings.

New Edition of Best Seller! The latest edition of this long-time bestseller offers a research-based framework that guides state and district leaders, school principals, teachers, parents, and community partners to form Action Teams for Partnerships.

Countless studies demonstrate that students with parents actively involved in their education at home and school are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate from high school, and go on to post-secondary education. "Beyond the Bake Sale" shows how to form these essential partnerships and how to make them work. Packed with tips from principals and teachers, checklists, and an invaluable resource section, "Beyond the Bake Sale" reveals how to build strong collaborative relationships and offers practical advice for improving interactions between parents and teachers, from insuring that PTA groups are constructive and inclusive to navigating the complex issues surrounding diversity in the classroom. Written with candor, clarity, and humor, "Beyond the Bake Sale" is essential reading for teachers, parents on the front lines in public schools, and administrators and policy makers at all levels.

A volume in Family-School-Community Partnership Series Editor Diana B. Hiatt-Michael, Pepperdine University (sponsored by the Family School Community Partnership Issues SIG) Promising Practices to Support Family Involvement in Schools is a must-have volume for every contemporary educator. This monograph provides a broad array of exciting research-supported practices to reform schools for the benefit of students, teachers, administrators, families and their communities. These practices will lead to higher student academic and school satisfaction outcomes. Experts in the field prepared this highly readable volume for teachers, school administrators, educational researchers, policymakers, and university faculty. The authors share their decades of educational research, wise insights and practical experiences with hopes to better life for individual families, educators, and society. This book belongs on every educator's desk

Making schooling a community endeavor! Because schools are the heart and soul of a community, educational leaders have a responsibility to bring the community into the school, as well as to make the school a part of the surrounding community. With articles from leading authorities and practitioners, this volume examines how educators can build family and community partnerships for school success. Educational leaders will find: Contributions from Alan M. Blankstein, Pedro A. Noguera, Mavis G. Sanders, Paul D. Houston, and others Inspiring and unique perspectives on the interplay of family and community in school successnbsp; Ideas for engaging families as partners

Class does make a difference in the lives and futures of American children. Drawing on in-depth observations of black and white middle-class, working-class, and poor families, Unequal Childhoods explores this fact, offering a picture of childhood today. Here are the frenetic families managing their children's hectic schedules of "leisure" activities; and here are families with plenty of time but little economic security. Lareau shows how middle-class parents, whether black or white, engage in a process of "concerted cultivation" designed to draw out children's talents and skills, while working-class and poor families rely on "the accomplishment of natural growth," in which a child's development unfolds spontaneously#151;as long as basic comfort, food, and shelter are provided. Each of these approaches to childrearing brings its own benefits and its own drawbacks. In identifying and analyzing differences between the two, Lareau demonstrates the power, and limits, of social class in shaping the lives of America's children. The first edition of Unequal Childhoods was an instant classic, portraying in riveting detail the unexpected ways in which social class influences parenting in white and African American families. A decade later, Annette Lareau has revisited the same families and interviewed the original subjects to examine the impact of social class in the transition to adulthood.

This practical resource will help educators to identify, address, and meet the needs of the diverse families in today's classrooms. It is the first book to critically examine how families are represented in the media, schools, and other institutions and apply that information to building effective home-school partnerships. Discussion questions are inlcuded in each chapter so that readers can examine their working relationships with the families of their students.

"Communicating with Parents: A Guide to Effective Practice "is an essential guidebook for the K-12 education professional. This book takes an in-depth look at communicating with families of students in elementary and secondary schools and is founded on the most current research and practice. Divided into five main sections, this guide presents evidence-based content and strategies related to: Developing Caring Relationships in Schools, Communicating with Families for Student Success, Communicating with Families throughout the School Year, Communicating with Families in Meetings, and Addressing Difficult Topics with Families. Additionally, a broad-based school population is covered with pertinent information for working with families of: general education students, students with disabilities, culturally/linguistically diverse students, students from low socioeconomic status, and students with unique gifts and talents. The evidence-based material is enhanced and illustrated with examples, graphics, and professional reproducible materials, and on every page, educators will be given the most research-based content, sound examples, practical applications, and ready-to-use resources. An indispensible guide for all K-12 general education teachers, special educators, related services personnel, and administrators for both pre-service and in-service training.

The goal of this volume is to discuss - in depth - the ways in which various deviations from traditional family styles affect childrearing practices and child development. Each of the contributors illustrates the dynamic developmental processes that characterize parenting and child development in contexts that can be deemed nontraditional because they do not reflect the demographic characteristics of the traditional families on which social scientists have largely focused. The contributors deal with the dynamics and possible effects of dual-career families, families with unusually involved fathers, families characterized by the occurrence of divorce, single parenthood, remarriage, poverty, adoption, reliance on nonparental childcare, ethnic membership, parents with lesbian or gay sexual orientations, as well as violent and/or neglectful parents. By doing so, the authors provide thoughtful and literate accounts of a diverse array of nontraditional or traditionally understudied family types.