In recent years, the ethnic and cultural diversity of the U.S. has increased as large numbers of immigrants and refugees have resettled here. Many of the recent immigrants and refugees have arrived from African countries, and human scientists and Extension professionals must be prepared to engage with the families. To inform the work of…

Active family involvement in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is regarded as a beneficial factor in young children's learning and development. One definition of family involvement is the active role parents take in their child's development and the knowledge and participation they share with professionals who are part of the child's daily…

Home and English language learning is essential for young DLLs with disabilities. Early educators as well as parents and other caregivers can implement promising strategies to support home and second language development for young children who are DLLs. This article reviews the importance of adult (e.g., teacher, parent) feedback and language…

As part of ongoing efforts to support a diverse and robust engineering workforce and ensure that children and adults from all communities have the engineering and design thinking skills to succeed in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-rich world, identity has become a growing focus of research and education efforts. To…

Being a parent in the "gifted world" is challenging, especially when you don't have all the information. Whether your child has already been identified and is in a gifted program or you are looking for the school to better meet your child's needs, it's essential to know the various staff and administrators that can help you and your…

Young children increasingly encounter digital media on a daily basis (Rideout, 2013). While e-books have been shown to positively influence emergent literacy skills (Neuman & Neuman, 2014; Shamir & Korat, 2015; Takacs, Swart, & Bus, 2015), the connection between specific e-book affordances and emergent literacy skills is muddy…

For youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families, adolescence presents unique challenges that require parents work closely with school teams. Both parent involvement in education and family school partnerships are associated with positive student outcomes. However, research characterizing parents' role in working with school-based…

Metacognition is a crucial prerequisite for self-regulated learning and refers to the knowledge and the regulation of cognitive processes. Several authors argue that children at preschool age can use initial metacognitive control strategies and monitor their learning activities. This fact will create the conditions for promoting metacognitive…

This study examines the role of new speaker parents who have made a conscious decision to bring up their children in Galician, a language which they themselves did not acquire in the home. Although intergenerational transmission has for long been considered a crucial part of linguistic vitality, new speakers bring complexity to this paradigm and…

Through a Disney perspective, this author discusses how students can use creative strategies to cope with learning disabilities in secondary, post-secondary and even graduate levels of academic achievement. In particular, the paper will be presenting how the author, who has an infinity for "everything Disney", chose to use both Disney…

In this study, written assignments from preservice early childhood teachers were examined to find answers to the following research questions: (1) What beliefs do preservice teachers have about children and technology at home? (2) How are parents represented in preservice teachers' beliefs about children and technology? (3) What are the…

A substantial body of research focuses on student achievement and the characteristics of schools that regularly produce it. While academic achievement is an important variable to measure, student engagement serves as a related and highly influential variable that merits more attention, particularly as it relates to preventative interventions.…

Research on stakeholder perspectives in language immersion contexts is relatively new (Padron & Waxman, 2016; Whitacre, 2015). This current qualitative research examined perspectives of stakeholders at a mini-conference for immersion educators and administrators called Conversations in Immersion. The mini-conference encouraged immersion…

Virtual education is expanding exponentially across the country while steeped in controversy. This dissertation analyzes parent and teacher perspectives on how four Idaho virtual schools educate students with disabilities. Two research questions examine parent roles in developing valid IEPs and providing special education services aligned to IDEA…

For many children, their artistic gifts may not be apparent until opportunity or exposure provides a spark. That's why parents and caregivers must understand the many ways they can ignite sparks, nurture artistic talents, and provide opportunities for gifted children to explore the arts. In many communities, opportunities outside of school abound.…