Testing and accountability have commanded almost constant attention since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) became federal law four years ago. What is frequently overlooked is the special power of parents to lift their children to new academic heights. The partnership helps to achieve the primary aims of that law. Without better informed and…

This report summarizes 2005-2006 program evaluation results from AISD's GEAR Up program.

We surveyed 374 parents and 82 teachers in the Juarez, Mexico schools regarding their views of what makes an effective elementary school. The survey was a Spanish translation of an instrument used by Johnson (1998). Although both parents and teachers supported most of the factors associated with effective schools, they emphasized different aspects…

This study investigated how experiences in the family context contribute to the postsecondary educational attainment of Mexican American youth. The sample consisted of 104 recent high school graduates. One half of the sample was attending a 2-year college, and the other one half was not enrolled in any postsecondary institution. This study…

In response to the underachievement of its Latino children, one district implemented Parent Partnership for Achieving Literacy (PAL), a program to build cultural bridges between home and school. Professional development (PD) that helped mainstream teachers develop cultural competence to work effectively with Latino children and their families was…

There is heightened concern about the need to provide effective special education services around the world. There is also evidence showing that most countries have either legislation already in place or are currently designing legislation to govern the provision of education services and protect the rights of children and families challenged by…

This case study contributes to a small but growing literature on alternative schools for at-risk students. Previous studies have been strong on participant narrative and advice for stakeholders, but have lacked theoretical and historical contextualization and are unlikely to have much impact on school policy. The present study focuses on the…

This study investigated the contributions of maternal education and ethnicity to three dimensions of home-based parental involvement in young children's education and development: parental expectations about educational attainment, children's activities at home and outside the home, and family routines. Controlling for family background variables…

Children spend more time in school than in any social institution outside the home. And schools probably exert more influence on children's development and life chances than any environment beyond the home and neighbourhood. The purpose of this book is to document some important ways schools influence children's development and to describe various…

This guide presents innovative school psychological practices to help children with disabilities learn. Descriptions are provided on programs, practices, and particular cases, divided into four sections: 13 suggestions for helping students learn, 10 guidelines for helping teachers teach, 8 ideas for developing family-responsive schools, and 15…

Noting that in Scotland there are a variety of provisions for preschool children organized and funded by different local authorities, private businesses, and voluntary organizations, this report describes the findings of a 2-year study into educational provision and day care for preschool children between the ages of 2 and 4 in Scotland. The study…

Noting that parents are children's most important teachers, this guide provides parents and children with weekly activities for all parts of the year that are intended to enhance children's eagerness to learn. The suggested activities, carefully chosen by Medina County, Ohio, kindergarten teachers, were designed to reinforce skills introduced in…

This practicum was designed to improve the self-esteem and self-confidence of black, largely lower-class sixth-graders at a middle school in a predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood. Students were exposed to multicultural resources, including works of literature by and about African-Americans. A cultural awareness workshop for teachers was…

Project Challenge is a unit of Project Playpen, Inc., in Pinellas County, Florida, which serves children from birth to age 5 who attend child care programs and display mild to moderate degrees of emotional challenge. This program guide describes the activities, structures, and design of Project Challenge to meet the needs of child care for working…

This volume examines two-generation interventions as models that represent a new approach to assisting families in poverty. Five of the chapters examine current programs--their design, characteristics of participants, implementation issues, and in one case, evaluation outcomes. Other chapters offer a research and policy context for this…