A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

     FOR RELEASE: 9 a.m. EDT                              Contact:  Diane Jones      April 12, 1996                                                 (202) 401-3725                                                                     1-800-SKYPAGE #1902998

Deputy Education Secretary Kunin Praises 1996 Golden Apple Award Winners

NEW YORK, April 12 -- How can working parents keep up with what's going on in their child's classroom? Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine M. Kunin says it's a real challenge, and parents -- moms and dads -- need help from schools and from employers.

"As a matter of choice -- and often economic necessity -- both parents in millions of American families, as well as most single parents, now work outside the home and as a consequence, often find themselves cut off from the education of their children," Kunin said. "We have been slow as a nation to recognize this new reality and to make some badly needed changes.

"Schools must find ways to make it easier for parents to be involved, and businesses must be willing to accommodate the needs of employees who are also parents. Parents themselves must not lose sight of essential priorities -- we must slow down our lives and make time to be with our children."

Today at a conference sponsored by Working Mother Magazine, Columbia University Teachers College, the Partnership for Family Involvement in Learning and the U.S. Department of Education, 11 innovative efforts to help working parents received Golden Apple Awards.

"We are honoring the rich imagination and selfless dedication that characterize the best in American education," Kunin said. "Research has shown that when parents are engaged in their children's education, achievement goes up. It's common sense, but too often ignored. If we expect our children to grow into responsible, capable adults, we must make the initial investment of time and concern."

The U.S. Department of Education is a founding member of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Learning, which now includes more than 260 organizations. Many of the Golden Apple winners and their supporting networks are affiliated with the partnership.

Receiving Golden Apple Awards are:

Family Involvement Programs, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
Travis Middle School, McAllen, Texas
The Youth Guidance Comer School Development Programs, Chicago, Ill.
Mattel, Inc., El Segundo, Calif.
The MegaSkills Program, Allen County, Ind.
The ASPIRA Parents for Educational Excellence Program, Washington, D.C.
Project Parents, Inc., Boston, Mass.
The Winter Indoor Recess Program, Montclair, N.J.
BE & K Engineering and Construction Company, Birmingham, Ala.
Ridgeview, Inc., Catawba County, N.C.
The American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care

The awards were presented at Columbia University Teachers College during a two-day conference titled A New Understanding of Parent Involvement: Family-Work-School.