DESCRIPTORS *Communication (Thought Transfer); Counselor Role; *Disadvantaged Youth; Elementary Secondary Education;

It is widely accepted that in recent years the number and the proportion of at-risk, disadvantaged atudents have increased dramatically in the nation's schools--and that they are projected to increase even more dramatically by the year 2000. Effective communication between school personnel and parents of disadvantaged students generally is viewed as a critical ingredient for successful student programming. This paper provides a discussion and analysis of: (1) the factors and conditions which are suggested as placing increasing numbers of students at high risk for educational disadvantage (e.g., poverty, being a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, living in a single parent family, having limited English proficiency, inappropriate or ineffective curricula, etc.); (2) common barriers and obstacles which often prevent effective parental involvement in their child's educational program (e.g.