November/December 2001Vol. 2, No. 6School Adoption Resource Supports Parents and Teachers
Although educators are trained to be sensitive to a culturally diverse student population, the special needs of adoptive children are often overlooked. A new resource book guides adoptive parents in their interactions with educators and aids teachers in understanding the impact of adoption on preschoolers through high school students.
Adoption and the Schools: Resources for Teachers and Parents, produced by FAIR (Families Adopting in Response), expands on earlier volumes produced in 1993 about school issues and adoption with funding from the North American Council on Adoptable Children. An introductory chapter provides a review of adoption vocabulary and the history of adoption in the United States. It also explains how the proliferation of "Adopt-a" programs to raise money for zoos, highways, and other causes can confuse children.
The manual highlights children's development and how it relates to their adoption background. Tips are also provided for discussing adoption in the classroom and at home at various ages. Original drawings and words by adopted children are interspersed throughout the text to illustrate how children develop an understanding about adoption. Classroom presentations, a poster assignment about famous adopted people, developing library collections, and a community "read-in" about adoption are proposed as methods of promoting adoption awareness, especially during November for National Adoption Month.
Advice is given on handling parent-teacher conferences, problematic school assignments and activities, and transcultural issues. The challenges of special education and educating the older adopted child are also addressed. A series of personal essays and poems by children and adults offer perspectives about birth families, adoption stories, and adoptive families. The guide concludes with a listing of additional resources, such as age-appropriate recommended titles and national resources.
To obtain a copy of this resource book, contact:
Families Adopting in Response (FAIR)
PO Box 51436
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: 650-856-3513
Email: info@fairfamilies.org
Website: http://www.fairfamilies.org
Related Items
See the following related articles in these past issues of the Children's Bureau Express:
- "National Child Care Initiative Advises Educators about Adoption Issues" (September/October 2001)
- "Adoption Guide Aimed at Educators" (September 2000)
For descriptions of other new Clearinghouse acquisitions, see the Resources section in the current issue of the Children's Bureau Express.
Visit the section on Resources for Parents and Teachers on the National Adoption Month website at: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/resources_parents.cfm.
Visit the website of the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse for the following related items (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov):
- Adoption and School Issues
- Answers to Children's Questions About Adoption (Note: this link is no longer active. Please see Explaining Adoption to Your Children, Family, and Friends)
- Adoption-Related Books for Children from Preschool to Age 8 (this link is no longer available; similar reading lists can be found at Adoptive Families Magazine at www.adoptivefamilies.com/books.php?cat=2)
- Adoption-Related Books for Children Ages 9-12 (this link is no longer available; similar reading lists can be found at Adoptive Families Magazine at www.adoptivefamilies.com/books.php?cat=2)
- Adoption-Related Books for Teenagers (this link is no longer available; similar reading lists can be found at Adoptive Families Magazine at www.adoptivefamilies.com/books.php?cat=2)
