The education system is like a dialectical system that holds both hope and harm in its operations. However, at the same time, the realities of the educational system have historically and continue to bring great harm to BIPOC communities and have hindered them from flourishing from the ideals of what schools have the potential to bring…

The culture of engineering and the culture of formal learning environments often make it difficult for individuals to develop an engineering identity. Conversely, recent research points to the home environment as an alternative setting to support discipline-specific identity development of children, while less is known regarding the identity…

Family involvement and school-family cooperation are essential determinants in a child's learning process in early childhood have further increased the significance of family involvement in the distance education process. This study aims to investigate the effects of the "Distance Education and Technology Use during the Pandemic" online…

During the first national lockdown in the UK in March 2020 family learning sessions usually delivered in face-to-face groups were adapted to online learning encounters. This article describes research undertaken into the effectiveness of the interventions from the perspectives of parents and tutors. Using an action research approach the…

Disproportionality in exclusionary school discipline is a longstanding challenge in general and special education. To reduce disproportionality in discipline in a way that produces measurable results, federal law provides a mechanism referred to as Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS). Whether a school district has been cited for…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Fair & Effective Education Policy." Contents include: (1) Community…

The United States' child population is becoming increasingly racially diverse, and the proportion of children identified with disabilities is on an upward trajectory, but persistent disparities in outcomes based on race and disability status across education systems endure. At the intersection of these populations are children of color with…

The McGill Action Planning System (also referred to as Making Action Plans or MAPS) is a supportive, strengths-based process that enables teams to understand each other and work together to support students in achieving their dreams. This process can work very well with all transitioning students with disabilities and their families, including…

Video is one way to promote, and help families understand, the transition to kindergarten. The present study explored the experiences of parents with transition-to-kindergarten videos. Four videos, in English and Spanish with accompanying information sheets in English and Spanish, targeted parents for transitioning to kindergarten. There were a…

This report summarizes some of the parent and family engagement services provided by Austin Independent School District's parent support specialists to parents and families at their schools during the 2017-2018 school year.

Why are IEP meetings often uncomfortable, awkward, and stiff? Educators and families all have a common goal--to support the growth of a child. Yet educators often feel confused that families act like reluctant participants who are just fulfilling a requirement. And families often feel that they're viewed as intruders, whose insights and dreams for…

Transition to kindergarten can be a pivotal experience for children because of its potential long-term impact on school performance. As the importance of relationships among contextual factors surrounding a child has been recognized, many schools have made efforts to establish strong ties with families in order to make kindergarten transition…

Families can be the most influential factor in successful employment and life planning for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), often leading them on the path to employment by serving as role models for work ethic and behavior. Yet families often lack the knowledge to move employment from an abstract belief to a real job.…

All parents of eligible students with disabilities have the right to collaborate as equal members of educational teams developing their children's Individualized Education Programs (IEP). However, culturally and linguistically diverse families typically experience barriers to collaboration with school professionals. In this paper, we describe…

The SERA Early Years Network (EYN) engages with a mix of researchers, practitioners and policy makers at local and national level. The planned expansion of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in Scotland, which is carving out a new sector identity as well as linking firmly to early primary education, frames the EYN's work to benefit children aged…