Research shows that children who don't have healthy eating habits have lower test scores, increased absenteeism, difficulty concentrating and lower energy levels. School principals are key advocates in the fight for better student nutrition and wellness, but they need prodding and support from parents to make real change happen. This campaign is helping parents get active in their children's schools—starting with a letter inviting principals to join the effort to get junk food out and physical activity in schools.

The Hassels, husband and wife, brought their experiences as parents, education policy wonks, and consultants on management and school leadership to the job of developing this "Picky Parent Guide" to choosing an elementary school.

Here's a clear, accurate and easy-to-use manual for parents, teachers, and advocates working to eliminate persistent vestiges of racial discrimination in American schools, fifty years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

In its fifth annual national poll of Americans on education issues, Educational Testing Service (ETS) found that the quality of the nation's high schools is a major concern. This survey revealed that Americans say our high schools are in need of dramatic improvements.

The National Head Start Association is a private not-for-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families. It represents more than 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 2,700 Head Start programs in the United States. The Association provides support for the entire Head Start community by advocating for policies that strengthen serv

These days, it's all about high school—advocates and policymakers, educators and opinion leaders are shining the spotlight on high school, and calling for deep reform to address serious shortcomings such as high drop-out rates. Amid this flurry of attention, the Educational Testing Service set out to find out how the public feels about high schools in its latest public opinion poll.

Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley, authors of Meaningful Differences, spent 2 and a half years studying the spoken interactions between parents and children in 42 families. They found that language development in young children was overwhelmingly correlated with socioeconomic status.

CFK reports from: The National Press Club
Event: Release of Annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, panel discussion
Organized by: Committee for Economic Development and MetLife
Where/When: Washington, D.C., June 14, 2005

New teachers feel at a loss when it comes to establishing productive relationships with parents, yet believe this is one of the most important challenges they need to address, according to this new survey.

It seems obvious that any organization that serves kids will benefit from understanding parents' perspectives. But it's not always easy to include the parent voice. This article by Casey Flaherty from the May-June 2005 issue of Children's Advocate looks at three examples of bringing parents into the discussion.

Discussions about school improvement often become laments about the lack of parent involvement, particularly in low-income communities. Who's to blame? South L.A. parent leader Maisie Chin thinks teachers and administrators need to look in the mirror. This article originally appeared in the March-April 2005 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.