Several schools that eschewed the middle school model and remained K-8 discovered anecdotally that their students showed fewer behavioral problems and higher academic achievement than many students enrolled in middle schools. On the basis of studies that verified these observations, school district leaders in Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Philadelphia…

Using grounded theory methodology combined with the interpretive lens of critical race theory, this study examines perceptions of minority status by 2 Black parents who have opted out of the public education system. Through the conceptual lens of stereotype threat, 2 contrasting examples illustrate how the perception of minority status affects…

In this study, perceived parenting styles and parental involvement were examined to determine if they predicted student motivation. The two views of motivation examined included achievement goal theory and self-determination theory. Algebra I students (N = 140) in a Southeast Texas public high school completed self-report surveys. Multivariate…

The idea of media literacy prompts an increasingly divisive debate between educators who wish to protect children from the commercialization of global markets and those who challenge critical media studies as misguided, outdated, and ineffective. We have provided a historical overview of changing conceptions of media literacy as preparation and…

Noting that an effective partnership between school and home can be one of the most powerful ways of helping children learn, this book provides guidelines for developing a whole school approach to working with parents to governors, parents, teachers, and other staff. Offering a wide range of good practice and practical ideas for developing an…

This report highlights the progress of the 15 statewide family advocacy projects funded by the Center for Mental Health Services of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration during the 1993 fiscal year. Section 1 provides an historical background and a summary of the interim report. A qualitative description of the…

Project Familia was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII project in its second year in 1993-94 in New York City. Project Familia served 77 children at 3 schools who were identified as limited English proficient, special education students in prekindergarten through fifth grade and their parents. The project provided after-school…

The In-School Staff Workshops project run by Asian-American Communications was evaluated in its fourth year. The project provided various workshops for staff on Asian American and Asian cultures, intercultural communications, and strategies for helping Asian American students adjust to their new social and educational environments. The project…

This book presents a study of the ways in which home and school experiences affect the literacy achievement of a group of elementary school children from low-income families. Chapter 1 describes how the study differs from other literacy research. Chapter 2 describes the community where the research took place, some of the families studied, and the…

An 8-month practicum was developed to eliminate the communication gap experienced by parents moving from the multi-communicative atmosphere of the elementary school to the relatively incidental reporting environment of the junior high school. The practicum sought to increase home-school communication through parental awareness and involvement. An…

A study evaluated the effects of an innovative parent involvement model. Nine school systems in Indiana were selected by the funding agency to use the Transparent School Model, which uses computer-based voice messaging technology to allow teachers and parents to exchange information with the efficiency and convenience of time displacement. At the…

Project Pride was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project for Haitian-born students. The project was in its fifth and final year in 1993-94 at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn (New York). Participating students (n=158) received instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and the…

Project Avanse was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its first year of operation at an intermediate school and a high school in Brooklyn (New York). The project served 266 Haitian-speaking students. Participating students received instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and…

This paper describes a cross-agency model of training and technical assistance which prepares preschool teachers, therapists, social workers, drug treatment providers, parents, administrators, service coordinators, and bureaucrats to work with and understand children and families affected by alcohol and other drugs. Presented first is a brief…

The charter-schools movement provides the opportunity to observe whether granting schools freedom from most state regulations actually produces more freedom for school administrators and teachers, and whether this autonomy produces other distinctive outcomes. This report summarizes findings of Southwest Regional Laboratory's (SWRL's) statewide…