The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) is a private not-for-profit education research and development corporation based in Austin, Texas. SEDL exists to challenge, support, and enrich educational systems in providing quality education for all learners, enabling them to lead productive and fulfilling lives in an ever-changing, increasingly connected world. It is one of ten Regional Educational Laboratories in the United States funded by the U.S. Department of Education. It serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

In December 2000 SEDL and its partner, The Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin, created the National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools to serve as a national resource to schools, community groups, research organizations, policymakers, and families. The Center creates bridges between research and practice–linking people with research-based information and resources they can use to effectively connect schools, families, and communities.

We acknowledge the National Center’s Steering Committee members who gave their time and expertise to the development of this research synthesis:

Howard S. Adelman, Center for Mental Health in Schools,
University of California-Los Angeles
Kelly A. Butler, Parents for Public Schools, Inc.
Nancy Chavkin, Center for Children and Families, Southwest Texas State University
Pat Edwards, National Center for Community Education
Joyce Epstein, Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships,
Johns Hopkins University
Arnold Fege, Public Education Network
Ira Harkavy, Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania
Karen Mapp, Institute for Responsive Education, Northeastern University
Milbrey McLaughlin, Stanford University
Maria R. Montecel, Intercultural Development Research Association
Terry Peterson, Resource Network for After-school and Community Education, University of South Carolina
Robert Pianta, University of Virginia
Estus Smith, Kettering Foundation
Bobby Starnes, Montana State University-Northern

We thank the SEDL staff who contributed to this publication: Joan Buttram, Catherine Jordan, Amy Averett, Deborah Donnelly, Marilyn Fowler, Margaret Myers, Evangelina Orozco, and Lacy Wood. Special thanks go to Evangelina Orozco for coordinating the content of this synthesis.

We also thank Bobby Ann Starnes for her advice and review of our work, Andrea Jachman for editorial services, and Jane Thurmond and Shaila Abdullah for design and layout services.

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