Although parent school councils are the archetypal arrangement for engaging parents in school improvement planning, their effectiveness is negligible when it comes to building parents' capacity for and confidence in educational decision-making. Using Arnstein's ladder of citizen participation, this qualitative case study investigated the nature…

Background: Aquatics is an under-researched but possibly appropriate form of activity for people with severe to profound intellectual disabilities (SPIDs). Aim: The current pilot study investigates the suitability of an aquatics programme for service users with SPIDs. Method: Four service users with SPID completed an 8-12-session aquatics…

Studies have consistently shown that parental involvement and family engagement programs can positively affect the social, emotional, cognitive, and academic well-being of children. Nevertheless, research has also indicated that many programs are school-based (e.g. back-to-school night, parent-teacher conferences), and have historically…

This paper discusses the results of an action-research project developed in a federation of Parents Associations (PAs) in Catalonia, aimed at helping PAs involve immigrant families. First, I nuance the idea of participation in schools to highlight some of the problems associated with participative initiatives targeting"'hard to reach"…

The article on barriers to parental involvement in education that was published in "Educational Review" in 2011 has been surprisingly widely read and cited. The article was prompted by concern over the apparent gap between the rhetoric and reality of parental involvement evident in preceding years. It presented a model which discussed…

Since the literature in the field of special education supports the argument that involving parents in the educational process is more likely to positively influence children's educational outcomes, this research aims at exploring the position of Jordanian parents of young children with disabilities in terms of their involvement. A qualitative…

Biblical texts mandate parental involvement in children's religious education. Researchers consider it important as well. Through analysis of interviews, site documents, and a focus group this phenomenological study seeks to provide a rich description of parents' experience with involvement in the religious education of their elementary children.…

This article reports on a qualitative study done in Johannesburg, South Africa, which investigated attitudes of primary school principals of eight public primary schools towards the use of homework in teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase (which comprises the first three grade levels of primary schooling). Using a semi-structured…

An evaluation project was carried out to consider the factors that influence university teachers engagement with an institutional professional development scheme. Data was collected via an online questionnaire followed up by semi-structured interviews. This paper will consider those factors that encourage and act as barriers to engagement. The…

Researchers often experience difficulties recruiting hard-to-reach populations. This is especially so for studies involving those who have been historically stigmatized, such as individuals who challenge heteronormative expectations or people who experience mental ill health. The authors aimed to obtain the views of sexual minority adolescents (n…

The purpose for this dissertation was to gain a better understanding of the educational involvement experiences of lower socioeconomic parents within Title I elementary schools. This study investigated the attitudes, beliefs, and perspective of Title I parents. It also analyzed an investigation into the barriers and motivations of parents. It used…

Response to Intervention (RTI) programs are designed to support students at risk of failing in school due to academic or behavioral problems. When RTI programs are applied inconsistently due to teachers' resources or knowledge, students may be wrongly identified for special education services. The purpose of this qualitative bounded descriptive…

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…

A recent evaluation of a school nurse-led obesity intervention demonstrated a 5% implementation rate. The purpose of this study was to explore school nurses' perceived barriers to and facilitators of the intervention in order to understand reasons for the low implementation rate. Methods included semi-structured individual interviews with school…

In structuring and providing leadership for learning community programs, learning community coordinators must address myriad issues and situations in order to create an experience that aids student learning and success. All types of students participate in learning communities, including students with psychiatric/ psychological disabilities;…