This study focuses on teachers' perceptions of the problem of underachievement in elementary schools in Kuwait. Five hundred and twenty elementary school teachers participated. Teachers thought that the main reasons behind the problem of under-achievement in school could be attributed to family factors. They also indicated that the most related…

This training guide is intended to help Head Start staff develop the essential partnership-building skills that contribute to Head Start's overall effectiveness as a supportive, family-centered community. Each of the guide's three modules details module outcomes, key concepts, and background information. Module 1 defines family support in terms of…

Clinical psychologist Daniel J. Flannery reveals the impact of violence and victimization in the lives of children and adolescents from a developmental perspective. He explores how young people experience violence in their everyday lives and how this impacts their mental health and ability to cope with challenges and crises. His case studies show…

Educational enabling occurs when school staff, social agencies, parents, or peers do things for the students they should do themselves to fully develop a work ethic and academic and coping skills. Parents and teachers must keep their roles in perspective. The article advises parents on how to minimize educational enabling. (SM)

This book for primary school teachers provides a practical collection of facts, advice, projects, games, stories, and sample questions for use in teaching children the importance of healthy habits. Food, personal hygiene, and the home environment are areas of particular concern. Details range from advice on ways to start a school garden or design…

Through interaction with their children and experiences they provide for them, parents can influence and guide children's growth, development, and learning process. This paper, in English- and Spanish-language versions, lists several ways parents can support their children's learning. The paper first notes that parents can establish a support…

PIRLS is the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. This rigorous international survey compares the reading attainment and attitudes to reading of over 200,000 9- and 10-year-old children in 41 countries. It is the only international study to provide information on the reading habits of primary-aged children: the survey collects…

This book adopts the point of view of a child to consider young children and how they think about reading. A premise of the book is that beginning readers have rich understandings of reading and are able to share these insights with any adults who care to listen. The book argues that reading instruction can be improved by listening to children and…

More than seven million adolescents under the age of 18 live in homes where one or both parents is an alcoholic. This document presents a three-part discussion of adolescent children of alcoholics' (AdCOA) issues relative to school classrooms. Part I discusses characteristics and behaviors of AdCOAs. The characteristics of dysfunctional families…

Three types of homework assignments are common in U.S. schools: practice, preparation, and extension. Reasons cited for assigning homework are: (1) Doing homework is useful as an act of intellectual discipline; (2) Homework eases time constraints on the amount of curricular material that can be covered; (3) Homework fosters student initiative,…

Intended for teachers to share with parents of school children, this paper presents techniques to encourage children to read during their summer vacations. The 21 suggestions for parents include the following: (1) model reading behaviors, (2) brainstorm with children to determine possible areas of interest, (3) read aloud to children, (4) allow…

This book came about as a result of working directly alongside teachers working with challenging children and children with emotional behavioural disorders. These teachers (from Australia and the UK) work with children in mainstream and special education settings. Teachers spend a third of their waking and working day with children. Most teachers…

The purpose of this article is to discuss determinants of computer self-efficacy from the perspective of participant internal learning motivations and external learning environments. The former consisted of three motivations--interest, trend, and employment--while the latter comprised two environments--home and school. Through an intermediate…

This report introduces the concept of syncretic literacy by examining an exchange in which a 6-year-old Samoan-American boy, in his urban Los Angeles (California) home, involves members of his extended family to complete homework. The study illustrates how English is sometimes used in ways that are consistent with the socialization practices…

This curriculum guide has been developed to assist home and family life education teachers in identifying goals, course objectives, and supporting generalizations in the area of housing. The guide includes five program goals: (1) make decisions based on the relationship between housing and the environment; (2) make housing decisions based on…