This dissertation consists of two chapters on topics in economics of education. In the first chapter, I develop and estimate an equilibrium model of endogenous instruction and student effort in order to empirically investigate the relationship between instructional choices, classroom composition, and student achievement in elementary school. The…

This study examined the ability of a theoretical model to predict types and levels of parental involvement during the elementary and middle school years. Predictor variables included parents' motivational beliefs about involvement, perceptions of invitations to involvement from others, and perceived life context variables. Analyses of responses…

The article describes and compares four models of parental involvement that reflect aspects of current professional practices in planning individualized programs for disabled children: (1) uninformed consent, (2) uninformed participation, (3) informed consent, and (4) informed participation. Positive effects of and ways to achieve informed…

Explores how a community of learners maintains itself through the inclusion of new generations, using the example of new parent volunteers at an innovative public elementary school. Describes four models of community maintenance defining the relationship between the community and newcomers. (Author/SLD)

Describes an innovative approach to building a school community taking hold at a Winston-Salem, North Carolina, elementary school. Called Parents in Partnership, the program uses a Big Brother/Big Sister model to link parents of incoming kindergarten children with more experienced parents at the school. The parents form informal, personal networks…

A model is presented for planning the transition of handicapped children from early childhood special education (ECSE) programs into kindergarten/elementary school mainstream classrooms. The model, developed through Project TEEM (Transitioning into the Elementary Education Mainstream), enables parents, ECSE, and elementary school program staff to…

Involvement with parents constitutes an important dimension of the elementary school counselor's role. The Adlerian-Dreikurs approach is described in terms of its underlying theory and the means by which it can be implemented by school counselors. Certain advantages of using the approach in the schools are also discussed. (Author)

The importance of including parents and teachers in the process of therapy for children who stutter is addressed, and viewing intervention along a therapy continuum incorporating both fluency-shaping and stuttering modification philosophies is recommended. Other topics presented include student attitudes and feelings, grouping and scheduling,…

The Reading Excellence program seeks to provide a cadre of trained volunteers to deliver tutorial assistance in reading to at-risk students during non-instructional times that will result in significant improvement in student performance on reading and language arts as measured by their age-appropriate standardized tests. This paper describes the…

This paper describes an interdisciplinary model for the assessment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that includes families as active participants and collaborators and emphasizes cultural competence and a strengths perspective. Steps in the assessment process are detailed. Preliminary research on the assessment model indicates its…

The purpose of the Social Skills Curriculum Model is to improve the social climate level of parent participation, and academic achievement in inner city elementary schools The approach was developed at Martin Luther King School in New Haven, Connecticut. It is a preventative mental health model which focuses on the organization of the school. The…

Children's academic performance and social competence in school is positively associated with parent involvement. However, the researches about educational learning models often ignore the parent part. Moreover, Internet forms a new paradigm, education and communication approach is more complicated than ever. In this paper, we would like to…

The Schools Reaching Out (SRO) program suggests that the achievement of low-income urban students can be raised through a "paradigm shift" to beliefs in success for all children in school, and the necessity of parent involvement for achieving that success. SRO attempts to change the traditional distant relationship between schools and…

The Baltimore New Compact Schools model offers schools an opportunity to cluster their resources, personnel, and funds. The Hirsch Core Knowledge Curriculum helps all three elementary schools compensate for disadvantaged students' lost learning time. The nonprofit Enterprise Foundation offers schools leadership, management, and technical support.…

Reports on a test of a psychological model of teacher-parent communication in primary schools in Hong Kong (China). Shows that teacher commitment and efficacy in working with parents have predictive power for teacher intentions; while teacher intentions, along with commitment, predict the time teachers spend communicating with parents. Includes…