Elaine K. McEwan is an educational consultant with The McEwan-Adkins Group, offering professional development for educators to assist them in meeting the challenges of literacy learning in Grades Pre K-6. A former teacher, librarian, principal, and assistant superintendent for instruction in several suburban Chicago school districts, Elaine is the award-winning and best-selling author of more than three dozen books for educators. Her Corwin Press titles include Raising Reading Achievement in Middle and High Schools: Five Simple-to-Follow Strategies for Principals, Second Edition (2006), Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers: Using Cognitive Research to Boost K-8 Achievement (2004), Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals: From Good to Great Performance (2003), Making Sense of Research: What's Good, What's Not, and How to Tell the Difference (2003), Seven Steps to Effective Instructional Leadership, Second Edition (2003), Teach Them ALL to Read: Catching the Kids Who Fall through the Cracks (2002), and Ten Traits of Highly Effective Teachers: How to Hire, Mentor, and Coach Successful Teachers (2001).

McEwan was honored by the Illinois Principals Association as an outstanding instructional leader, by the Illinois State Board of Education with an Award of Excellence in the Those Who Excel Program, and by the National Association of Elementary School Principals as the National Distinguished Principal from Illinois for 1991. She received her undergraduate degree in education from Wheaton College and advanced degrees in library science (MA) and educational administration (EdD) from Northern Illinois University.

Preface
My Definition of "Crazy"
Who This Book Is For
Special Features of the Book
Overview of the Contents
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. Why So Many Parents Are Angry, Troubled, Afraid, or Just Plain Crazy
The Parents of Today
What¿s Behind the Epidemic?
Summing Up and Looking Ahead
2. Defusing and Disarming Out-of-Control Parents
What Is Anger?
How to Deal With Parents Who Are Upset or Out of Control
Strategies for Dealing With Truly Troubled Parents
Using Your Enounters With Parents to Learn and Grow
Summing Up and Looking Ahead
3. Solving the Problems That Make Parents Angry, Troubled, Afraid, or Just Plain Crazy
The Pervasive Problems That Plague Us
Solving the Problems That Plague Us
Behaviors That Can Sabotage Your Good Intentions
What to Do When Nothing Works
Summing Up and Looking Ahead
4. Creating and Nurturing a Healthy School
The "Virulent Viruses"
The Dangerous Dozen
A Healthy School
The Healthy Leader
Promoting and Maintaining a Healthy School
Steps to Take if Your School Is Sick
Summing Up and Looking Ahead
5. The Proactive Approach: Fifty-Plus Ways to Build Parental Support
Fifty-Plus Suggestions to Get You Started
Summing Up and Looking Ahead
Conclusion
References
Index
Facilitator¿s Guide
Who Should Use This Guide?
How Is the Guide Organized?
What Materials Are Needed?
Study Modules
Module 1: Introduction
Module 2: Chapter 1. Why So Many Parents Are Angry, Troubled, Afraid, or Just Plain Crazy
Module 3: Chapter 2. Defusing and Disarming Out-of-Control Parents
Module 4: Chapter 3. Solving the Problems That Make Parents Mad
Module 5: Chapter 4. Promoting a Healthy School
Module 6: Chapter 5. Fifty-Plus Ways to Be Proactive
Module 7: Conclusion