Research indicates that parental involvement is a key role in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways public school districts in New Jersey communicate to parents regarding their Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG). This document analysis reviewed the descriptive language presented in each school…

This dissertation explores the complex dynamics and conflicts surrounding the privatization of public school services in New Jersey. Through detailed case studies of multiple New Jersey towns, this dissertation examines how local school districts, grappling with funding challenges, consider outsourcing educational support professional roles to cut…

School principals are fundamentally important to school improvement. Due in part to this importance, the roles and responsibilities of school principals are constantly evolving. To explore leader sensemaking about this phenomenon I conducted 30 interviews with 10 public school principals in the US state of New Jersey during the 2018-2019 school…

Parents and educators are at the forefront of promoting children's health and well-being. Yet little is known about the factors that contribute to forming a positive relationship between parents and their children's educators. Very few researchers have investigated the perceptions of parents, teachers, and support staff regarding the factors that…

"Disrupting Disruption" shows how three racially and ethnically diverse school districts--Union NJ, Union City OK, and Roanoke City VA--have defied the demographic odds, boosting overall graduation rates while shrinking or eliminating the opportunity gap. These districts resemble many others in their student population. What makes them…

The power of communication and community engagement utilized by teachers to actively involve parents and guardians in the educational process of their children is essential to the growth of the students. An important component to student motivation is a teacher's ability to leverage parental/guardian relationships. A teacher's ability to form…

The following study describes the experiences of parents with a child with a disability in Jewish day schools. The findings suggest marked differences in the experiences of parents whose child was able to remain in the day school and those who left as a result of their child's disability. In the latter group, the themes of loneliness and…

This study is a critical discourse analysis of the New Jersey Opt-Out Movement. In 2015, and in response to the increasing standardization of US public school instruction, and over-use of high-stakes testing, NJ parents began to refuse to allow their children to take a key end-of-the year exam, the PARCC. We employ the concepts of master and…

In recent years, many states have expanded their state-funded prekindergarten programs, drawing on evidence that public investments in early childhood education bring substantial returns in children's educational trajectories and a more skilled future workforce. Evidence also suggests that returns to early education may be larger for children of…

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…

Digital technology is providing a growing variety of methods for school leaders to connect with parents anywhere, anytime--a tactic mirroring how technology is used to engage students. Through Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and text messages sent in multiple languages, school staff members are giving parents instant updates, news, and information…

The role of family in children's education is unquestionable. While a number of factors influence the type and level of educational support that parents provide for children, researchers have found that the greatest influence on parent involvement is the classroom teacher. Despite the important role teachers play in parent involvement, little is…

This action research focuses on a New Jersey affluent socioeconomic school district where student performance on state mandated proficiency assessments consistently result below District Factor Group (DFG) expectations. Socioeconomic status (SES) has always been believed to be a contributing factor that influences student achievement; however,…

Background/Context: Parent involvement in education is widely recognized as important, yet it remains weak in many communities. One important reason for this weakness is that urban schools have grown increasingly isolated from the families and communities they serve. Many of the same neighborhoods with families who are disconnected from public…

The purpose of this study is to find out how public schools accommodate the growing Hispanic school population in a New Hispanic Diaspora in New Jersey, and what strategies Hispanic families and schools adopt to mitigate home-school discontinuity. This study also attempts to find out what constitutes the formation of Hispanic identity among…