The following online resources can help educators throughout Oregon improve family involvement in the schools and help develop effective programming for reaching out to parents.

The Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP)

The Harvard Family Research Project helps stakeholders develop and evaluate strategies to promote the well being of children, youth, families, and communities. HFRP's work focuses on early childhood education, out-of-school time programming, family and community involvement in education, and evaluation. Features of the Harvard Family Research Project include:

The Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) is a national network of over 8,000 people who are interested in promoting strong partnerships between children's educators, their families, and their communities. FINE offers the following resources online:

• What's new - monthly announcements of current ideas and new resources
• Resources - research, evaluation, and training tools
• E-newsletter (FINE Forum) - program models and perspectives on family involvement
• Member insights - opinions about topics of interest

The Evaluation Exchange, HFRP's quarterly periodical, contains new lessons and emerging strategies for evaluating programs and policies, particularly those focused on children, families, and communities.

HFRP publications provide research on early childhood care and education; family, school and community partnerships; evaluation and accountability; and professional development. Many of the publications are available free of charge.

The National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools

SEDL's National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools supplies research-based information and resources that can be used to effectively connect schools, families, and communities. The Center provides three primary types of resources to assist researchers, practitioners, families and community members with finding and utilizing research based information people need to take action and make connections between schools, families, and communities.

Connection Collection: Publications Database includes annotations for 395 research studies, articles, monographs, and other literature related to school, family, and community involvement in education.

Research Syntheses, developed in partnership with leaders in the field, contain the latest research and the most innovative thinking about family and community connections with schools.

Strategy Briefs are short summaries of a concept from the research on family and community connections with schools. They include research resources and suggestions for next steps for practitioners interested in implementing these ideas. Also included are Interactive Strategy Briefs, Online interactive modules that allow users to explore family involvement concepts and related research-based strategies.

The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)

The NCIPE is a coalition of advocacy groups in support of family-school partnerships. The NCPIE Web site includes information about family involvement, resources, and an extensive list of family involvement related organizations.

The National Network of Partnership Schools at John Hopkins University

Established in 1996, NNPS uses research-based approaches to organize and sustain excellent programs of family and community involvement that will increase student success in school.

Based on more than two decades of research on parental involvement, family engagement, and community partnerships, NNPS's tools, guidelines, and action team approach may be used by all elementary, middle, and high schools to increase involvement and improve student learning and development. NNPS also guides district leaders to help their schools develop goal-oriented programs of family involvement and community connections, and to meet NCLB requirements for parent involvement. In addition, NNPS assists state departments of education and organizations to develop policies and take actions that will support districts and schools in strengthening their partnership programs.

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

As the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) offers useful information and support to many thousands of parents to help them stay involved in the lives of their children. The National PTA reminds our country of its obligations to children and provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be successful students. National PTA does not act alone. Working in cooperation with many national education, health, safety, and child advocacy groups and federal agencies, National PTA collaborates on projects that benefit children and that bring valuable resources to its members.