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This Spanish language information brief describes the Parent to Parent Program, which provides information and one-to-one emotional support to parents of children with special needs. The program trains experienced parents in the program and matches them with similar parents new to the program. Benefits of the program include: (1) providing parents with opportunities to talk to someone about the impact of disability on their family; (2) allowing parents to discuss such stresses as dealing with multiple doctors, learning a new vocabulary, and coping with the financial aspects of disability; (3) providing parents with support and advice about special classes and services; (4) helping parents find friends for the special needs child; (5) assisting parents in keeping their family happy and healthy while coping with the disability; and (6) helping parents to develop self confidence in their own impressions and ideas for their children. The brief also provides information on how to find a local Parent to Parent Program. (DB)

In 1999, the Southern Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) interviewed leaders from Hispanic, African American, Native American, and Asian communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma to understand what keeps parents and others from participating in community forums. After conducting more than fifty interviews, SEDL developed seven steps to help educators, civic leaders, parents, and community members involve more parents and community members from different socioeconomic and minority backgrounds in conversations about improving public schools. The seven steps, outlined in English and Spanish, are: (1) know your community; (2) identify the issues; (3) designate facilitators; (4) train facilitators; (5) recruit participants; (6) locate a meeting site and handle logistics; and (7) follow up with participants. (SLD)

This handbook, in English and Spanish, is designed for educators who want to develop meaningful parent and community involvement in public education in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The advice of leaders of Hispanic, African American, Native American, and Asian communities is incorporated into five strategies to help develop parent participation: (1) know the community and identify leaders and education issues about which the community cares; (2) get smart about communicating with parents and community members; (3) provide extra help for school staff and parents; (4) bridge the gap between families, communities, and schools through welcoming and liaison efforts; and (5) evaluate public engagement efforts regularly. An annotated list of eight resources and a list of seven other organizations are included. (SLD)

The materials in this resource guide include a four-part video, a poster-size cultural map with additional exercises, and the five sections of this guide. The unit, presented in English and Spanish, intends to introduce students to the peoples and cultures of the U.S.-Mexico border, to explore the concept of borders in their own communities, to use ethnographic investigation methods, and to foster critical thought through the use of oral interviews and other primary source materials. Each section of the guide begins with an introduction for teachers and then allows them to customize the materials for the individual classroom and students. The sections of the guide include: (1) "Introduction: What Does Borders and Identity Mean?"; (2) "History and Identity"; (3) "Celebrations and Identity"; (4) "Expressive Traditions and Identity"; (5) "Occupations and Identity"; and (6) "Borders and Identity in Your Own Community." An appendix includes a timeline of key dates, a glossary of cultural concepts and border terminology, an example of a 'corrido', an annotated resource listing and bibliography of historical and literary sources, a transcript of the video narration, and reprinted articles from the 1993 Festival of American Folklife program book. (EH)

This is the fourth edition of the Spanish version of the "Mini-Digest of Education Statistics," a publication designed to present, in compact form, statistical information about education in the United States from kindergarten through graduate school. Data are derived from many sources, but unless it is stated to the contrary, information is from the annual "Digest of Education Statistics" of the National Institute for Education Statistics. Education was the principal activity of 74 million people in the United States in the fall of 1995. This total includes about 4 million teachers and college professors and about 4.4 million other school personnel, as well as students at elementary, secondary, and higher levels. In 1996, there were about 32.8 million students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 8 in the public schools, and about 13 million were enrolled at the secondary level. The first set of tables presents statistics on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary enrollment, with information on the enrollment of minority groups and participation in programs for the disadvantaged. Another section presents statistics about teacher characteristics and salaries. A section on results of schooling presents tables about required courses, dropouts, graduates, literacy, and degrees. A final section presents statistics on educational finance, reporting on expenditures, income, and federal aid for elementary, secondary, and higher levels. (Contains 30 tables.) (SLD)

This publication presents statistical information about elementary, secondary, and higher education in the United States in compact form. This information is presented in much greater detail in the "Digest of Education Statistics,""The Condition of Education," and "Youth Indicators." In 1995 there were about 45 million students in public elementary and secondary schools, and an additional 5.7 million in private schools. These figures indicate a substantial increase over enrollments in 1985, as charts detail. This trend is expected to continue, with approximately 37.3 million students expected in the elementary grades in 1996, and a projected enrollment of 14.4 million in secondary schools. The proportion of minority students has increased in U.S. schools since 1984, reaching about 32.4% in 1994. In 1995, approximately 9 million students in higher education attended four-year schools and about 6 million attended two-year schools. Data are also provided on the number of teachers at each level of education, teacher salaries, and teacher characteristics. A section presents information on the outcomes of education, with data on graduates, dropouts, and literacy rates. A final section contains statistical data about educational finance, including income and expenditures, and sources of student aid and scholarships. (Contains 12 figures and 30 tables.) (SLD)

Some minority and female students traditionally have not been given the help they need to enroll and succeed in mathematics and science classes. Now, however, various approaches are available to give these students the extra attention they need. Parents can help children develop an interest in science and mathematics by: (1) identifying role models; (2) stressing the importance of high academic goals and insisting that students not put limits on themselves; (3) encouraging students to interact with teachers and participate actively in class; (4) demonstrating the usefulness of science and mathematics in daily living; (5) urging children to enroll in extracurricular science and mathematics programs; (6) helping children locate question-answering services for homework help; (7) finding tutors and programs to meet the child's needs; and (8) participating in science and mathematics learning activities. Parents should work with the school to make sure children learn advanced science, technology, and mathematics. Schools should be urged to provide this instruction in the children's native language to keep them from losing time as they learn English. (SLD)

This publication, which includes both English and Spanish versions, explains that standards describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. Every school that receives money from Title I, the federal educational aid program that provides extra educational services for children who are behind in school, must have standards set by the school district and the state. Because this is a new requirement to receive Title I money, in many schools the standards are still being developed. Content standards say what students are supposed to learn in different subjects, and performance standards say how well students have learned what they are supposed to learn. Schools use standards for planning curricula and programs, communicating expectations, helping teachers know what to teach, coordinating different classes, choosing materials, and determining what students need to achieve. Schools receiving Title I money must have the same standards for all students. These standards are usually set by the school district in accord with state standards. Parents should ask questions that help them know the standards for their children's schools and then help them judge how the standards are being applied and met. Parents should certainly ask how the school uses the standards. Suggestions are made about educators who can answer parent questions. A section of Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 is attached to detail the Act's expectations for parent involvement in education. (SLD)

This guide, which includes both English and Spanish versions, explains that a school profile is like a report card for a school. It tells how students are achieving and what the school is doing to help all students achieve. Each school that receives money under Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act, the Federal aid program that provides extra educational services for students who are behind in school, must provide a copy of the school profile every year. Since school profiles are a new requirement, many schools are still putting their profiles together. The profile contains facts about the school, such as enrollment, student teacher ratio, and finances, as well as facts about groups of students. It can include information on the performance of individual students and of groups of students. School profiles explain testing in terms of how well students meet standards, which identify what students should be able to know and do at each grade level. Because the profile is one way to judge the quality of a school, parents should use it to get a quick picture of how the school is doing and to find out about programs the school offers, including Title I. Parents should find out how the profile is assembled, how it is interpreted, and how the information it presents is used by the school. Many of these questions can be answered by the child's teacher, and others can be answered by school administrators. (SLD)

Title I, the largest federal aid program for elementary, middle, and high schools, is introduced in this publication, which includes both English and Spanish versions. Through Title I, the Federal government gives money to school districts around the country based on the number of low-income families in each district. Each district uses Title I money for extra educational services for children who are behind in school. The new Title I, which was previously known as Chapter I, is based on the premises that all students should work toward the same standards, that local schools and parents know best what their students need to succeed, and that parents are partners in helping all students achieve. Title I money can be used in a variety of ways as long as it helps low-achieving students meet the same standards that have been set for all students. In schools where more than half the students are low-income, money can be used for a school-wide Title I project so that all students receive Title I services. Title I money can also be spent on many types of parent involvement activities, from family literacy to transportation and child care for school participation, to parent resource centers and materials. All Title I programs must have a parent involvement component. Parents can take advantage of the Title I possibilities and can learn about the Title I programs of their schools. Since every school designs its own Title I program, a list of questions is given that parents might ask about the program in their own schools. Emphasis is placed on finding out how Title I is actually working and the outcomes it is producing. Three additional sources of information about Title I are listed. (SLD)

This guide, in Spanish, notes the value of parent groups for parents of children with disabilities, as they offer parents a place and a means to share information, give and receive emotional support, and work as a team to address common concerns. Typical activities of a parent group are listed, and ways of identifying parent groups that exist nationally and locally are noted. Criteria are outlined for deciding which group or groups would be useful to join, and suggestions are offered for starting a group if no appropriate group exists. These suggestions address: deciding what kind of group to form; deciding whether to affiliate with a larger association; determining leadership and planning the first meeting; handling the first meeting and subsequent meetings; maintaining interest in the group; and serving families who do not speak English. (JDD)

This booklet was designed to help parents in Oregon in finding and financing child care for their children. The first section of the booklet provides information on the Oregon Department of Human Resources' Adult and Family Services (AFS) Division's Aid for Dependent Children (ADC) and Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) programs. This section explains how to register a child care provider with the ADC and ERDC; how the child care programs of ADC and ERDC function; and what information must be reported to caseworkers by ERDC recipients. Tables showing AFS coverage for child care, by age of the child and area of the state, are also included. The second section focuses on finding child care. Parents are encouraged to contact a local reference and referral (R&R) agency, ask friends and family members to recommend good caregivers, and utilize community resources. The booklet presents an overview of the kinds of child care available, including day care centers, home care, preschool and Head Start programs, and before and after school day care. After noting the availability of government-supported nutrition programs, the booklet provides a checklist for identifying a good caregiver, including questions to ask when assessing a child care provider. The final sections list resources for parents, including local community and state agencies and R&R agencies for child care. (AC)

Designed for parents of children with disabilities, this handbook (in both English and Spanish versions) provides information about services available in Idaho, how to use these services, and how to approach the job of parenting a child with disabilities. Chapters include: (1) "Beginnings: Understanding Your Family and Your Child with a Disability," which addresses feelings when first learning of the disability, family dynamics, and strategies for coping; (2) "About Your Child's Disability," which describes different types of conditions and how other parents can help; (3) "Through the Maze of Supports," which discusses the system of services and support for individuals with disabilities and their families; (4) "Getting Help," which addresses finding out about a child's diagnosis and evaluation, the assessment and evaluation process, getting services for a child, extra help for babies, additional services for children, Head Start, educational services, due process, vocational rehabilitation, recreation, transportation, churches, sexuality, having another child, relief services, financial help, insurance benefits, and tax deductions and credits; (5) "Parents and Professionals," which addresses how parents and professionals can work together; and (6) "Parents as Advocates," which highlights children's basic and legal rights. An appendix includes lists of parent, state, and federal resource organizations in Idaho. (CR)

This pamphlet, in English- and Spanish-language versions, offers information to parents on the functioning and benefits of Head Start, a federal program for preschool children from low-income families. The pamphlet's sections answer the following questions: (1) "What Is Head Start?" (2) "What Can the Head Start Program Offer to Your Child?" (3) "What Would Be Your Child's Routine in a Head Start Program?" (4) "What Can Head Start Offer Your Family?" and (5) "Is There a Head Start Program Near You?" (EV)

The workbook is designed to accompany a textbook, "The Story of California," a Spanish-English bilingual history and geography of the state intended for classroom use by limited-English-proficient, native Spanish-speaking students in California's urban middle schools. The teacher's edition, presented here, consists of reproductions of 51 separate worksheets with answers provided. The worksheets are geared to the 10 chapters of the textbook, whose topics are: California's location on the earth and the characteristics of its people; the state's geography; the first people in California; the advent of the European explorers and settlers; Spanish movement from Mexico into California, and colonization; the end of Spanish government in California and the beginning of Mexican government of the area, including the history of the missions and the Indians; statehood; the California Gold Rush; the impact of the industrial revolution; and use of the land from the 1850s to the present. Each worksheet contains some questions in English and some in Spanish. (MSE)

This guide for minority language parents whose primary language is Spanish presents parenting information to supplement a course in English as a Second Language. It focuses on topics parents must deal with in meeting the needs of their children. Vocabulary and practice drills are presented for activities in the following areas: (1) education and dealing with the school system; (2) parenting; (3) nutrition; (4) mathematics; (5) health; (6) safety; and (7) citizenship. The section on education provides information on school organization, registration, forms that must be completed, communication with teachers, and reading student report cards. The parenting skills emphasized are those of interacting with children and of coping with systems that can have an impact on children, such as the public library. Illustrations present scenarios of everyday activities with discussion questions in the primary language. In most instances, parallel English and Spanish exercises are provided. (SLD)

"The Story of California" is a history and geography of the state of California, intended for classroom use by limited-English-proficient, native Spanish-speaking students in California's urban middle schools. The book is designed with the left page in English and the right page in Spanish to facilitate student transition into comfortable use of English but without sacrifice of Spanish language skills. Chapters address these topics: California's location on the earth and the characteristics of its people; the state's geography; the first people in California; the advent of the European explorers and settlers; Spanish movement from Mexico into California, and colonization; the end of Spanish government in California and the beginning of Mexican government of the area, including the history of the missions and the Indians; statehood; the California Gold Rush; the impact of the industrial revolution; and use of the land from the 1850s to the present. Many maps and illustrations are included. (MSE)

The set of materials was designed to provide nutrition instruction to Spanish-speaking farm workers using radio broadcasts. It includes audiocassette tapes of four novellas (mini-dramas) on nutrition-related topics (diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, pregnancy, smart shopping), talk shows on the same topics, a public service announcement on diabetes, and a guide for service providers using the tapes for nutrition instruction. The provider's guide, presented in both English and Spanish, consists of a discussion of the goals and uses of the radio programs, procedures for planning and implementing a radio nutrition broadcast series, and notes on marketing the broadcasts to the community. Appended materials include the four novella scripts and four program evaluation instruments: a pre- and post-broadcast survey, focus group discussion guide, focus group background information sheet, and sample focus group questions. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

This guide, which includes both English and Spanish versions, explains that a compact is a written statement of what schools and parents are supposed to do to help students achieve. Each school that receives money from the Title I program must have a compact. Title I is the federal aid program that provides funds for extra educational services for children who are behind in school. The compact lists specific duties of school staff and parents. With a compact, everybody knows what he or she is supposed to do, and what others are supposed to do. The compact also says how parents and schools will communicate with each other. It is based on the school's standards of learning. For teachers, the compact says what they must do to teach to the content standards. For other school staff, the compact says what they should do to support the teaching of content standards and the students' ability to learn. For parents, the compact says what they could do to support their children's achievement of the standards. A parent could regard the compact as a kind of job description that lists what he or she could do to support the child's progress. Because each school's compact is different, parents should find out about how it was developed, how it is being interpreted, how the school uses the compact, and how the compact can affect families. Parents are directed to teachers and school administrators to find out these things. An attachment contains the parent involvement section of Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act. (SLD)

This guide, which includes both English and Spanish versions, discusses parent involvement policies, which explain how the school district or the school itself supports the important role of parents in the education of their children. Every school district that receives money from Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act, the federal aid program for educationally disadvantaged students, must have a parent involvement policy, as must every school that receives Title I funds. The policy will cover a wide range of issues related to parent involvement, including parental rights and responsibilities and communication with parents. The school must hold an annual meeting to describe Title I to parents and it must provide up-to-date information about what it is doing with Title I funds and its parent involvement activities. Parents should find out about the school's policy and make sure that they understand it. Since every parent involvement policy is different, parents should determine how it is being developed and interpreted, and how the school uses the parent involvement policy. Questions should be referred to local educators or to school district coordinators and administrators. An attachment contains sections from Title I that relate to parent involvement policies. (SLD)

EQUALS is a teacher advisory program that helps elementary and secondary educators acquire methods and materials to attract minority and female students to mathematics. The program supports a problem-solving approach to mathematics, including having students working in groups, using active assessment methods, and incorporating a broad mathematics curriculum presented to students in a variety of contexts. This book contains problems aimed at enlarging students' resource bank of problem-solving strategies appropriate for grades 4 through 9. Also included are preliminary considerations, questions and suggestions, a problem list by mathematical topics, and a cross-reference chart of the problems. (JRH)

This booklet contains ideas about how families can help children in school in the following basic ways by: (1) teaching their children; (2) learning new things to help their children learn; (3) supporting children and the school; and (4) making decisions about what and how children learn. For each of these areas, a chart is included so that families can evaluate and record their progress in specific activities. In addition, suggestions are given to help parents understand and use student progress reports. Another area discussed is meeting with the teacher and using the information from parent conferences. Definitions are provided for some terms commonly used in talking about Chapter 1 programs. A final section lists six resources that parents can turn to for more help in supporting children in school. (SLD)

This Spanish-language videotape provides a live, interactive teleconference where renowned national experts, local educators, and community leaders share ideas on how to improve schools. It focuses on establishing partnerships with faith-based and community organizations to create stronger schools. The audience includes parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, civic and community activists, college faculty, and others. (PKP)