High school teachers often have difficulty motivating struggling students to complete homework--especially in inner-city schools in which many students are discouraged by stressful living conditions. The authors consulted with successful urban educators who were involved with innovative, small high schools in New York City, and asked what…

Many families in Boston, especially the immigrant ones, are unable to navigate the Boston Public Schools system and offer their children the education they could have. In this article, the author shares how the learning and support she obtained from Citizen Schools has helped her navigate through high school and in life. Citizen Schools is an…

Using data from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), this study examines the social disparity of family involvement. A total of 4,405 students from 140 Hong Kong secondary schools participated in the first cycle of PISA study identifying four types of…

This article discusses student pressure as a subject of debate. The latest debate about schoolwork is being fueled by three recent books: "The Homework Myth" by Alfie Kohn, "The Case Against Homework" by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, and "The Overachievers", by Alexandra Robbins, which depicts overextended high…

The primary purpose of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The "Digest" includes a selection of data from both government and private sources, and draws especially on the results…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 590 Culminating…

Background: New demands are imposed by rapid change in the education system; these, in turn, cause stress. Previous studies have suggested that the degree of stress experienced by students is affected by characteristics of education, teachers and the students themselves. Purpose: To identify student and teacher characteristics that determine the…

The connection between out-of-school activities and school engagement was examined in 140, 6th through 9th grade African American adolescents. Youth's out-of-school activities were measured with a series of 7 nightly phone calls and focused on time in structured (homework, academically-oriented, extracurricular/sports) and unstructured (watching…

Based on the theoretical perspectives of socio-constructivism and language socialization, this study reports two Chinese Canadian first grader's experiences of language and literacy learning in and out of school in a unique sociocultural setting where they were "the mainstream." The article examines the students' reading and writing…

Following a list of four reasons teachers assign homework, this guide discusses ways for parents to help children with successful completion of homework assignments including: (1) show that education and homework are important; (2) check on the child's work; (3) provide guidance; and (4) talk with someone at school if problems occur. The guide…

A study of 401 Chicago State University (Illinois) undergraduate students in elementary Spanish courses investigated the relationship between students' completion of homework assignments, both brief and lengthy, and student achievement on five to six teacher-developed exams administered during the semester. The study spanned six semesters. Results…

Because most parents say they do not or cannot help their children with science, this booklet was designed to help them do so, easily and with pleasure for both parent and child. The introduction presents information on why and how parents should help their children and provides a general orientation to the ideas and activities offered in the…

This report presents results from a study that examined homework issues and practices by surveying teachers, students, and parents in 13 schools in different parts of Scotland. The first of the report's 10 chapters outlines background information and the research strategy used in this study. In chapter 2, findings of previous research on homework…

In this document, recent literature on schools' attempts to involve parents in the education of their children and on the rationale for parent involvement is evaluated. Research reviewed concerns parent involvement programs designed to improve student academic performance, increase student attendance, decrease behaviors that leave students at…

The goal of this research was to find out if libraries across the country have applied for and received Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grants to fund latchkey programs. Through the use of a questionnaire sent to all of the state library agencies in the United States, data was collected by structured and open-ended questions. The…