Current research suggests that parents are a key component to the school success of their children. However, in today’s world, parents often work long hours, have more than one job, and participate in multiple responsibilities that may limit their participation. Because of the variety of factors that impinge on parents, educators often criticize them for their nonparticipation or limited participation in the school environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of alienation, if any, that African American parents feel toward public education. A modified version of the Barriers to School Involvement Survey was administered to 421 African American parents. The questionnaire was factored into five problem categories for analysis (e.g., personal concerns, work, lack of interest, logistics, teacher/parent relationships). Although significance was found among the five problem categories and across the six research questions (e.g., problem categories, employment status, economics, special education vs. general education, family composition, and parent education levels), the findings indicate that parents did not view the five problem categories as a concern impacting their school involvement.

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There seem to be more and more children diagnosed with one of these disorders. This article can help teachers in inclusive classrooms work with all their students to encourage positive behavior and increase learning (see boxes, "What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?" and "What Does the Literature Say?").To take advantage of the appeal of both graphic and story elements for many students, teachers can design stories that encourage students to behave positively in social situations, such as eating lunch, playing in the playground, using the library, lining up, and working with other students in groups. Social stories have a long pedigree in a teacher's family of strategies. Applying Social Stories in the ClassroomLearning to use social stories effectively does not require extensive training. Many educators can use social stories-classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service personnel. The decision to include social stories in a behavior plan should be made by the individualized education program (IEP) team. As with any decision, team members should integrate social stories into the IEP or behavior support plan in a way that complements other interventions and strategies.To ensure maximum benefit, teachers should use a systematic checklist for writing and using social stories. Based on the steps for conducting a functional assessment (O'Neill et al., 1997), we have identified six steps necessary for the effective use of social stories: identi-26 ■ COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

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Manuscript considers results of a research study that assesses American Indian university students' factual knowledge, understanding, and perceptions of susceptibility to HIV/AIDS, and relationships between their attitudes and decisions to engage in HIV-risk behaviors. Participants responded to a 57-item scaled survey and several demographic items. Survey items were grouped into five categories: factual knowledge about HIV/AIDS, perceptions about sexual intercourse and condom use, perceptions about susceptihility to HIV/AIDS, self-efficacy and HIV/AIDS, and personal beliefs about HIV/AIDS. Survey results indicate unique approaches should be employed when conducting HlV/AlDS prevention education programs for the heterogeneous American Indian/Alaska Native tribes in the United States.