This paper presents the results of a survey of 127 seniors in a diverse suburban high school to determine the impact of the subjects' perceptions of parent involvement on their levels of achievement as measured by the standardized national ACT test. Independent-samples t tests were then used to assess whether there were any differences in…

Are instructional aides colleagues of teachers, bridges to the school community, both, or neither? This study addresses this question by asking instructional aides about their relationships with teachers and parents and about their status in schools, and suggestions are made to create stronger bonds among these partners in education. This paper…

National and statewide research indicates that there is a special role for schools in preparing youth to become active, engaged participants in a democratic society. Unlike many of the roles that schools have assumed, this is not a new role; it is a role that was envisioned by the founding fathers. The results of several national studies strongly…

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of attitudes held by parents of Jewish Hebrew students at a Boston area Sunday school. Five parents of diverse backgrounds were interviewed in-depth to discuss the nature of their attitudes. Three common themes emerged related to the reasons for their high levels of involvement with the Sunday…

In this article, the authors present a travelogue about the book bag partnership. The book bag literacy partnership is a multi-faceted collaboration between school and home, and between children and adults. It uses literature to elicit readers's responses and perspectives. Designed for children from infancy to the elementary school years, the book…

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…

There is a strong relationship between students' socioeconomic status and their levels of academic achievement. Although educators should be held accountable for improving the performance of all students, including those living in poverty, schools alone can't eliminate the negative factors associated with poverty that lead to a large achievement…

School violence can lead to a disruptive and threatening environment, physical injury, and emotional stress, all of which can be obstacles to student achievement. Educators have responded to the perceived threat of school violence by implementing programs designed to prevent, deter, and respond to the potential for violence in schools. In…

Proponents of school choice argue that schools of choice build stronger parent communities. Using data from the National Household Education Surveys Program, a nationally-representitive cross-section of U.S. households, I examine the empirical evidence for this claim. To account for the difficulties in identifying causal effects in cross-sectional…

Designed for district- and school-level character education committees, "Character Education by Design: A Blueprint for Successful District and School Initiatives" is a how-to guide for developing an effective character education initiative, one that will not only enhance the climate of the school and social behavior of the students, but…

Accountability for student learning is the key focus of New Mexico's system of school improvement. The Public Education Department's commitment to continuous improvement is evident in the steps taken to refine the 2007-2008 School Improvement Framework to reflect No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. The School Improvement Framework was…

This paper investigates the relationship between innovative leadership preparation and teacher outcomes, building on prior research on the effects of preparation on leadership and effects of leadership on teacher outcomes by drawing on two different teacher samples (Stanford University-based study of innovative programs and the SASS teacher…

The purpose of this document is to identify the features of four successful collaborative partnerships between state education agencies (SEAs) and parent training and information centers (PTIs) and describe how these collaborative partnerships are improving SEA outcomes on Indicator B8 of the state performance plans (SPPs)--i.e., "Percent of…

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) both include a commitment to keep the public informed about educational progress that students are making, and both emphasize the importance of involving parents in the education of their children. An underlying assumption of NCLB and IDEA is that in order…

School communities feel pressure to dramatically improve the educational experience of students and principals are confronted with the need to lead their staff and community in examining current practice and implementing changes that respond to these demands. Leading school change is one of the most complex tasks faced by a school leader. The…