The workshops are designed for parents of children in CHIME Charter Elementary and Middle schools, but are open to the public. The workshop will be conducted by Kathy Peckham-Hardin, a special education lecturer at Cal State Northridge.

Future topics include "Benefits of Inclusive Education for All Children" at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23, conducted by Cal State Northridge special education professor June Downing; "Understanding Assessments" at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13, conducted by Michael Spagna, the Eisner Chair in Teaching and Learning at Northridge; and "The Gifted Child" at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, conducted by Wendy Murawski and Saundra Sparling, special education professors at Northridge.

All the workshops will take place in the auditorium of CHIME Charter Elementary School.

The CHIME Institute, located at Cal State Northridge, is a national leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best educational practices.

CHIME Charter Elementary School and its sister campus, CHIME Charter Middle School are independent schools that provide free public education through affiliation with the Los Angeles Unified School District. The schools serve as demonstration and teacher training sites for Cal State Northridge's nationally acclaimed Michael D. Eisner College of Education.

For more information, call the elementary school at (818) 346-5100.