Discusses how to prevent discouragement in disadvantaged students. Because systems cause at-risk students to feel inadequate, the article suggests only systemic change can repair the problem. Too many students lose in the present reward-and-punishment evaluation system. Effective schools must make students believe they have equal educational…

Analysis of data from 11 interviews with parents of children with disabilities, 3 focus groups, and parent action research logs yielded 5 themes: parents felt ill-prepared to help children with homework; parents wanted more information about teachers' expectations; parents wanted individualized homework assignments; parents valued family…

This research study provides evidence indicating that students who receive appropriately chosen computer software tutorials as homework assignments attain higher achievement results than do those students who receive the traditional paper-and-pencil exercises as homework assignments. (JJK)

Analyzes Web-searching behavior for homework assignments of high school students through field observations in class and at the computer terminal with students thinking aloud, and through interviews with various participants. Results emphasize the need for training and for system design based on user seeking and search behavior. (Author/LRW)

Homework is a battleground for many families. Increasingly, parents are asking their school boards to reconsider the amounts of homework assigned, and administrators are questioning homework quality. A New Jersey district has imposed strict limitations, allowing students more downtime and reading/informal learning opportunities. (MLH)

The notion that parent involvement impacts student learning outcomes for children who are at risk for failing academically has been supported by prominent early childhood education experts. Recent attention has been given to specific ways parents can help increase student learning through their interactions with children as they complete home…

This study was the first to investigate patterns of homework problems, as assessed by parent reports on the Homework Problem Checklist (HPC), among children in general education and those referred to an evaluation and treatment program for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In Study 1, parents of general education students in grades…

We use several national surveys to provide a 50-year perspective on time spent on homework. The great majority of American children at all grade levels now spend less than one hour studying on a typical day--an amount that has not changed substantially in at least 20 years. Moreover, high school students in the late 1940s and early 1950s studied…

Does the use of an online homework system such as WebAssign (http://webassign.net) in an introductory astronomy course affect student performance? Four sections of introductory astronomy were compared in various homework situations, from no graded homework to graded homework online. Results show that there are no significant differences in…

This document consists of a workshop presentation on active learning in the engineering classroom. Eight sessions focus on: (1) the format and purpose of the workshop, which is designed to help instructors use active learning principles in the classroom; (2) the state of instruction in the engineering sciences; (3) the stages of knowledge and…

This booklet is designed to provide parents of elementary and junior high school students with an understanding the purpose and nature of homework and suggestions for helping their children complete homework assignments successfully. After a discussion of why teachers assign homework, how homework can help children learn, and the optimum amount of…

This videotape provides an overview of the materials and services available in a typical library. Designed to interest elementary and middle school children in exploring the library, the video features a young host who tells children about the Dewey Decimal system and goes behind the scenes to see how a library works. The library does not only…

This report describes programs that have been developed to improve students' attention to and success with homework assignments. The four predominant types of programs, as identified through an informal survey of 100 school systems around the United States, are discussed: (1) recorded messages by voice mail; (2) live telephone homework help…

This guide presents questions that parents frequently ask about their children's school along with answers to those questions. The questions and answers were prepared based on the results of studies conducted by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the GTE Foundation, and by the National Center for…

This manual, written by a classroom practitioner, addresses concerns frequently voiced by beginning teachers. It is designed as a practical approach to what works in the classroom. The chapters focus on the following issues: Classroom Management; Classroom Discipline (student behavior, easy ways to establish control, major issues, calling home,…