Parent engagement in schools is often precipitated by a thorough and genuine assessment of parents' needs, priorities, and perceptions of their children's schools. This study reports on the development and validation of the Parent Perceptions of Overall School Experiences Scale. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) examined the factorial validity…

This mixed-methods longitudinal project investigates the association between student perceptions of their schools and themselves. Findings from the first two waves of data analysis with 894 middle and high school students in a midsized Great Lakes city reveal similarities and differences between the grade levels (7th-10th) and their perceptions of…

In this report, the authors characterize the differences between those interviewed who "loved school" and "those who did not." For this comparison, they created two sets of comparison groups: (1) interviewees divided into upper and lower halves on one item, "I loved school"; and (2) the top and bottom quartiles on the…

The relationships between adolescent ethnic identity and attitudes toward school and school climate are investigated in a small, multiracial/multiethnic city in the Great Lakes region with ethnically diverse adolescents taught by primarily White teachers. The mixed methods investigation of 986 eighth through eleventh grade students during the…

Middle grades students expressed their opinions about school during unstructured interviews which were part of a longitudinal mixed methods study. Four major needs emerged as prominent themes during these interviews, including: physical, safety, academic, and esteem needs. The author discusses findings related to these themes using the students'…

The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a rapidly expanding network of public charter schools whose mission is to improve the education of low-income children. As of the 2012-2013 school year, 125 KIPP schools are in operation in 20 different states and the District of Columbia (DC). Ultimately, KIPP's goal is to prepare students to enroll and…

Virtual schooling has been touted as one of the best ways to meet the needs of at-risk students, but what happens when a district's virtual education program is unsuccessful? That was the problem in Eastern Local School District, a small rural district in Beaver, Ohio. The district contracted virtual school services and used the virtual school for…

A sizeable percentage of US youth engage in risky behaviors which result in extensive preventable morbidity and mortality. School connectedness is the leading school-based protective factor against youth engagement in risky behaviors including violence, suicide, and substance abuse. A comprehensive review of the literature found no published study…

A scientific sample of 820 Ohioans responded to a 10-question telephone survey about vocational education in Ohio. The findings, which can be generalized to all Ohioans, included the following: (1) four out of five say that it is extremely important or very important that vocational education remain part of high school programs; (2) nearly one of…

This document offers the results of an education survey taken in the Dayton, Ohio, area in August 1998. The survey included telephone interviews with some 824 area residents. The principal results are presented first, organized under nine major headings: satisfaction level; problems in the schools; proposals for improvement; parental choice;…

An exploratory study examined the expectations of parents toward goals, curriculum, and services of the public preschool in Hardin County, Ohio. Previous studies have shown that the goals of the preschool influence the curriculum and determine whether the preschool is academic or social in nature, that academics are emphasized even though play has…

This document reproduces several papers that were delivered at the Ohio Department of Education's statewide ESEA Title I conference 1971, the theme of which was "Building Blocks to Success"; this typifies how Ohio school administrators and teachers have designed Title I programs to help educationally disadvantaged children experience…

To ascertain program effectiveness, a written attitude survey, consisting of 14 questions, was administered to 85 Mexican American children in grades K-8 during the first 5 days of the Leipsic summer program and to 85 children during the program's final 7 days to determine their attitudes toward themselves, their home schools, and the Leipsic…

The objectives of the Nutritional Improvement Project were as follows: children will attend school regularly; children will develop a receptive attitude toward school; children will increase in level of achievement. Cleveland Public Schools for the past four and one-half years have provided breakfast for all elementary pupils attending Title I,…