This study examines parental participation in children's schooling. Using a survey of parents of children attending a majority Hispanic school district, we employ exploratory factor analysis and determine that standard forms of participation align along two dimensions: Involvement and Engagement. Analysis reveals a third dimension: Parental…

Although the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) mandates parent participation in their children's education programs, the implementation of IDEA results in parent effort beyond participation, specifically, an expectation of advocacy. To date, research on the advocacy expectation is mixed, with some parents perceiving…

The authors' experiences with Latinx families confirm research that shows parents are willing and have the desire to help their children with their mathematics schoolwork (Colegrove and Krause 2016). However, structural barriers make it challenging for Spanish-speaking parents to support their children's mathematics learning. For example,…

To improve outcomes for students in a high school alternative-education program, Jamel Adkins-Sharif knew he needed tap parents' knowledge and support. Doing this, he says, has required ramping up communication, repurposing parent-engagement events, and being honest about the fluid and often inconclusive nature of working with struggling learners.

Alternative Individualized Education Program (IEP) dispute resolution models should respond to limitations of current options. An experimental IEP dispute resolution program provides parents and schools with an evidence-supported neutral perspective on what is needed for free and appropriate education (FAPE) and least restrictive environment…

According to recent estimates, there are approximately 427,910 children in the U.S. foster care system; 8,705 of those children are in Massachusetts. Previous research has demonstrated that children in foster care are more likely than their non-foster care peers to be absent from school, have special education needs, and to experience traumatic…

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all public schools must provide a free and appropriate public education to students with disabilities. As such, public charter schools must accept and educate students with disabilities and maintain open enrollment policies, which often include a fair lottery system. Schools must plan…

Through family engagement and expanded learning time, a partnership between the public school district and a community organization in Lowell, Massachusetts, serves the social and academic needs of refugee youth and other English learners and their families. The success of the partnership's Celebration of Learning--the culminating event at the…

Of the three formal dispute resolution procedures provided by the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004(IDEA), due process hearings are the most costly in terms of time, fiscal resources, and impact on relationships between school personnel and parents. This study examined 258 due process hearings held over the past 8 years in…

This article examines parent involvement (PI) as a ritual system using Turner's concept of root paradigms. Through a twofold analysis, I argue that the highly ritualized nature of PI practices creates a group identity among mainstream parents and schools that marginalizes diverse families. First, I point out three root paradigms in the ritual…

Family involvement is a key ingredient of improving underperforming schools, but families are often unaware of how to get involved. To engage families in schools, an urban school district offers Parent University to teach family members how to become leaders in schools and advocates for their children. Parent University is one of Boston Public…

Making the move from a regular classroom to a virtual setting is about more than the technology. Individualizing instruction, creating an engaging and supportive online classroom, and learning how to communicate with students who aren't physically present are among the challenges. Communicating with students and building relationships with them…

The lack of college readiness skills is a national problem, particularly for underachieving high school students. One solution is to offer authentic early college coursework to build confidence and academic momentum. This case study explored a partnership between a traditional, suburban high school (600 students) and a community college to…

This article draws upon three years of interviews and participant observation research in the Chelsea Public Schools, to discuss the impact of the Chelsea Family Literacy Program on promoting Latin American immigrant mothers' involvement in their children's education. The authors present the voices of Latin American immigrant mothers who describe…

The Supreme Court's 1925 ruling in "Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary" ("Pierce"), striking down a law from Oregon that would have required all children, other than those needing special education, between the ages of 8 and 16 to attend public schools, essentially upheld the right of nonpublic…