Although public library programs for the elementary grades offer explorations in a wide range of topics in which mathematics plays a role, are all too rare: Mathematics offerings are typically limited to homework help. Participating in out-of-school activities that embed mathematics in authentic ways bolsters children's skill development,…

A systematic approach which clearly defines teacher, student, and parent roles in homework is described, including discussion of homework policies, homework returns, study areas, survival kits, and time management. (CB)

The implementation and operation of an after-school program for latchkey children in Jackson, Tennessee, is described. (MT)

Discusses the use of homework journals, which allow (1) students to write down their assignments; (2) parents to check these assignments; (3) parents and teachers to write notes or comments to each other, giving them a form of two-way communication concerning the progress of students. (MDM)

Presents the goals, philosophy, and methods of the SPLASH (Student-Parent Laboratories Achieving Science at Home) program. Describes an at-home, parental-involvement activity called Moon Watch in which students and their parents observe how the phases of the moon and the moon's position in the sky change over a two-week period. (WRM)

A study released last fall by the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, showed that, contrary to what many observers suspected, the amount of time spent on homework has not increased for children in the upper-middle grades. But it has jumped significantly for 6-to 8-years-olds, which would include…

The purpose of this research is to provide elementary mathematics teachers strategies that will enhance their knowledge of standards-based mathematics content and pedagogy and to increase parents' and homework help-line employees' knowledge of standards-based mathematics concepts. Teacher participation in standards-based mathematics activities is…

Describes year-long "Container-of-the-Month" project, around which a number of second-grade class lessons and activities revolved. These included art, communicating through displays, oral and written reports, and family-oriented homework. (ET)

This paper reports on a pilot program called "TIPS" which was designed to promote parent involvement in mathematics lessons for grades 1-6 in Creve Coeur Elementary District 76, located in a small town on the outskirts of Peoria, Illinois. The program was begun in the first year of districtwide adoption of a new math textbook which provided parent…

Reviews the opportunities for and obstacles to promoting independent learning at the middle grades level. Proposes the substitution of compensatory practices that discourage self-directed learning activities, such as test review handouts, with instructional practices that support independent learning activities, such as performance feedback and…

Describes the inception and progress of a university-public school collaboration in which preservice teachers, working toward endorsement in teaching English to speakers of other languages, volunteer to teach English as a second language students, providing academic support, homework help, language practice, and comprehensive explanations for…

This paper briefly outlines the Homework Success Program (HSP), a family-school intervention program for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The HSP uses a conjoint behavioral approach, emphasizing the importance of implementing behavioral interventions that involve parents, teachers, and students. The primary goals of the program are…

Discusses strategies for improving communication with caretakers of middle school students. Strategies include making regular phone calls; sending home personal notes about student progress, newsletters about homework and observation opportunities, or monthly calendars describing units; surveying parents to determine how they might participate in…

This study investigated children's practices and ideas or perceptions about self-regulation for two particular aspects of schoolwork: completing homework and learning for a class test. Subjects were 86 Anglo children (ages 7, 9, and 11) who were interviewed about their practices and ideas concerning homework completion and test preparation.…

An award-winning teacher shares her strategies for improving attendance, homework completion, and English proficiency in a fifth-grade class in Nunavut. She tailored the curriculum to her students' academic and cultural needs. Her students thrived on the security, success, and sense of caring that her regime of structure, discipline, and…