Introduction: Early informal learning experiences are essential for sparking long-term interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In a prior study, we found more promising parent involvement outcomes when families of young children were provided with STEM family education events along with home STEM activity kits compared to…

We present a programmatic study of physicists' and astronomers' attitudes toward education and public outreach (EPO) using 131 survey responses from members of the Dark Energy Survey. We find a disparity between the types of EPO activities researchers deem valuable and those in which they participate. Most respondents are motivated to engage in…

The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) created the Behavioral Interventions for Child Support Services (BICS) demonstration in 2014. The goals of the demonstration were to use insights from behavioral science to develop interventions that could improve child support services and increase parent engagement, and to encourage the…

The academic achievement gap has been present in the United States since the start of public education. Different factors have been noted as key contributors to the achievement gap, including the lack of parent involvement. This study investigates the impact that parental involvement has on student achievement, with specific focus on how a parent…

Within special education policy and practice, parents are expected to advocate for their children to receive appropriate special education and related services. However, the majority of parents report feeling disempowered to advocate; families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds may feel especially disempowered. Federally…

The purpose of this study was to explore how postsecondary institutions with high and low study abroad participation rates communicate with students about study abroad opportunities. We were especially interested in identifying institutional policies and practices that focused on inequalities in access to study abroad. We addressed this purpose…

Research opportunities--in addition to culturally relevant programming, mentorship, professional development, and college funding--have been found to contribute to Latinx students' understanding, confidence, and awareness of research in college (Russell et al., 2007). While programs such as the Migrant Education Program and the College Assistance…

Background: Many disciplines use outdoor fieldwork (OFW) as an experiential learning method in higher education. Although there has been an increase in research into the pedagogical approaches of OFW, the use of OFW is contested. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to synthesize the OFW literature across a range of disciplines to identify common…

Community engagement has evolved as a respected field and now occupies a seat at the academic table. In the past, this work had often been relegated to the institutional fringes of higher education, its practitioners marginalized, and the work often portrayed as service, not scholarly. Today, higher education community engagement is a dynamic and…

This qualitative investigation reports on the use of Parent Resource Centers (PRCs) as a mechanism for parental involvement in public school choice decisions. Interviews with parents and staff at seven PRCs in Florida revealed that PRCs employ multiple strategies to communicate choice information to parents: community-, school- and media-based…

There is a growing movement across the country to get more adults to enroll in college and complete higher education programs. Fewer than half of the nearly 170 million U.S. residents between the ages of 25 and 64 have obtained a postsecondary degree or certificate. The statistics for adult students of color who have attained higher education are…

Parental engagement is shown to have a significant effect on educational outcomes, especially at primary school level. It can take a variety of forms including helping children with homework and attending parents' evenings. Evidence suggests that parents with lower socio-economic status (SES) are less likely to engage in their children's education…

Over the past century in the U.S., stronger parental involvement in children's education has been encouraged and, more recently, codified into state teaching standards. Despite this, fully engaging parents as equal and respected partners has remained elusive. The quest seems particularly perplexing when attempting to enhance participation of…

In England and Australia, higher education institutions are required to widen participation in higher education by including students from under-represented and non-traditional groups. Widening participation is most effective when it starts early--during compulsory education and other forms of pre-tertiary education. Higher education institutions…

Over the past 30 years there has been a call for higher education to reprioritize the civic purposes of the university (Campus Compact, 2012). Community-based teaching and research have emerged as key academic strategies to enhance the student experience and increase the civic mission of higher education (Erlich, 2000; Eyler & Giles, 1999;…