This report presents the SPARK literacy model, an innovative approach developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, for addressing the literacy needs of low-income and minority schools in Milwaukee. It also presents the results of a two-year randomized control trial evaluation of the SPARK literacy program's impact on reading…

In this paper, we present the findings which have emerged from our investigation of parent-teacher conversations at one secondary school in the north-west of England. Data were collected in the form of audio recordings over two years, supplemented by supporting evidence in the form of one-to-one interviews with parents, teachers and students. We…

The efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC), a family-school partnership intervention, for teachers' practices and process skills was evaluated. Participants were 152 teachers of grades K-3 in 45 Midwest rural schools randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Treatment group teachers participated in an 8- to 10-week CBC…

Since 2013, Leeds Beckett University has carried out two studies, working with market researchers, into students' feelings and perceptions of online courses and their learning context. This work has been conducted outside routine data collection for statistical reporting to regulatory agencies, as these exercises do not explore a student's…

Minority parents are less likely to engage in their children's school though they are not less interested in their children's education or less involved in their children's lives at home. This gap in parent engagement affects the educational success of their children and has significant implications for minority communities and states with large…

This study investigated the influence of marital stressors on role performance of married academic women of tertiary institutions in Cross River State. In order to accomplish the purpose of the study, two objectives and corresponding two hypotheses were postulated to guide the study. The survey research design was adopted in the study. A total of…

While many scholars have written about the experience of academic motherhood in higher education, with their research revealing a number of challenges faced by academic mothers, none have presented an in-depth view of the transition of returning to work after maternity leave. For this reason, the authors used a narrative inquiry approach to…

The author provides an overview of a "funds of knowledge" approach and presents three different adaptations of the approach with a common theme of expanding teachers' and students' resources for learning.

University work-life balance policies increasingly offer academic workers a range of possible options for managing the competing demands of work, family, and community obligations. Flexible work arrangements, family-friendly hours and campus facilities, physical well-being and mental health programs typify strategies for formally acknowledging the…

This study was conducted to better understand the level of involvement of families in Belize with the education of their children. It was anticipated that information from this broadly distributed survey might show areas of current strengths and weakness in the current system that might allow for future adjustments.

The effects of birth order have been debated in many disciplines and have been shown to be important for a number of outcomes. However, studies examining the significance of birth order in language development and practices, particularly with regard to minority languages, are few. This article reports on two sets of data collected among Spanish…

Research has documented the relationship between family stressors such as family economic hardship and marital conflict and adolescents' mental health symptoms, especially depressive symptoms. Few studies, however, have examined the processes whereby supportive parenting lessens this effect and the progression of mental health and physical health…

The purpose of the study is to analyse and discuss the influences of globalisation and localisation on music education in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It argues that the reform of music education concerns changes to the contents of the curriculum that envisage the cultural and political developments that arise from processes of globalisation and…

In the UK, mainstream schools can decide to exclude students because of their behaviour. Students are then placed in pupil referral units (PRUs, sometimes known as short-stay schools) until their needs can be more thoroughly assessed so that they can then be placed appropriately. This article outlines the development of one particular approach to…

The literature is divided on the issue of what matters for adolescents' well-being, with one approach focusing on quality and the other on routine family time. Using the experience sampling method, a unique form of time diary, and survey data drawn from the 500 Family Study ("N" = 237 adolescents with 8,122 observations), this study examined the…