School-family partnerships (SFPs) have been the focus of research, policy, and practice efforts for several years. Increasing the interest in SFPs has been the finding that when schools and families cooperate closely, children benefit. The more supportive links there are between settings, the more potential there is for healthy development. Such strong findings have been reflected in major legislation implemented by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). National attention has increasingly focused on reforms aimed at boosting academic standards and accountability. Yet SFPs are more important now than ever. With underachievement, the academic gap between advantaged and disadvantaged youth, and high rates of social and emotional problems still major concerns of the educational system and society, SFPs can act as a critical mediating factor for educational improvement and positive youth development. To increase implementation of SFPs and foster the integration of parent involvement with social and emotional learning, people must understand the complicated context in which partnerships develop and function. School-family partnerships are influenced and defined by dynamically interacting psychological, sociological, and policy factors, such as students' developmental level, the culture of the home and community, and local and broader legislative initiatives. To increase understanding of this context and enhance communication among educators, parents, and policymakers about strategies for enhancing collaboration between schools and families, a national invitational conference, "School-Family Partnerships: Promoting the Social, Emotional, and Academic Growth of Children," was held in Washington, DC, on December 5-6, 2002. Sponsored by the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory at Temple University, the conference featured an ecological approach encompassing elements that impact parent-teacher interactions, which in turn affect academic, social, and emotional aspects of school success. Papers were commissioned to address SFPs and academic, social, and emotional learning within three levels of the social-ecological context of learning: the microsystems of schools, families, and peers; the mesosystems of SFPs and other interactions; and the macrosystems of culture, economy, and ideologies. Science-based research on SFPs and the learning of children was thus integrated within a broader structural framework. This issue of "The LSS Review" synopsizes the work-group recommendations and conference papers. The conference organizers hope that this information will outline directions for research and practice that enhance children's academic, social, and emotional success. The findings of this conference make it clear that SFPs do improve children's education and development and that such partnerships should play an important role in national education reform. Articles in this issue of "The LSS Review" include: (1) School-Family Partnerships: Promoting the Social, Emotional, and Academic Growth of Children (Evanthia N. Patrikakou, Roger P. Weissberg, JoAnn B. Manning, Sam Redding, and Herbert J. Walberg); (2) Influences and Barriers to Better Parent-School Collaborations (Pamela E. Davis-Kean and Jacquelynne S. Eccles); (3) What Motivates Parents to Become Involved in Their Children's Education (Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Joan M. T. Walker, and Howard M. Sandler); (4) Critical Issues Facing Families and Educators (Sandra L. Christenson, Yvonne Godber, and Amy R. Anderson); (5) Parental Involvement and Children's School Success (Arthur J. Reynolds and Melissa Clements); (6) School-Family Partnerships for Adolescents (Rebecca DuLaney Beyer, Evanthia N. Patrikakou, and Roger P. Weissberg); (7) Intercultural Transitions, Socioemotional Development, and Intersections between Families and Schools (Luis M. Laosa); (8) Economic and Social Correlates of the Socioemotional Adjustment of African American Adolescents (Ronald D. Taylor); (9) Preparing Educators for School-Family Partnerships: Challenges and Opportunities (Nancy Feyl Chavkin); (10) School-Family Relations and Learning: Federal Education Initiatives (Oliver Moles, Jr.); and (11) Grassroots from the Top Down: The Role of States and Large Districts in Family-School Relationships (Sam Redding and Pam Sheley). ["The LSS Review" is a product of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory, the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), one of ten regional educational laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education.]