The article considers the beliefs and practices of elementary-aged children who write for personal fulfillment. Mobilizing Lips-Wiersma's (Lips-Wiersma & Morris, 2011) notion of "meaningful work," I examine the ways in which these children experienced writing and sharing their work in a voluntary after school writing workshop and at…

As the dynamics of our classrooms across the county continue to change, so must our teaching practices. Multilingual students live in homes with varied cultural and literacy experiences. Since multilingual families may not engage in school-based literacy practices, teachers often overlook the development of students' language and literacy skills.…

Engaging children with science, sparking curiosity, encouraging questioning and hands-on exploration are among the top priorities for educators at Nicola Saporita-Clark's primary school in Lancashire, and something they have worked hard to engage the whole school community with over a number of years. They recognise that not all families have the…

This article illustrates several types of at-home science experiences that could be incorporated during grades K-2 to provide enriching science experiences that are motivating for students without requiring exhaustive work and preparation. These activities are designed to augment science interest and enthusiasm of students in the classroom and…

Families lay the foundation for their children's future educational success. Engaging families in mathematics education has positive benefits for their child's attitude, motivation to learn, and academic achievement. Fostering school-home partnerships are essential to ensure that mathematics learnt in the classroom have wider applicability to home…

Ethnic minority parents often appear to be less involved in school functions and activities than their culturally dominant counterparts. Their invisibility is usually assumed due to a lack of either interest or parental capacity to oversee their children's education. However, the simplistic equation between parental involvement in children's…

This paper shows how parents' perceptions of parent-teacher relationship practices differ between different types of schools with respect to children's special needs and the socio-economic status of these children. Using a questionnaire, we compare parents' views from two special education schools, two at-risk schools serving low SES-children, and…

In a 5-year longitudinal study of typical literacy development (Grades 1-5 or 3-7), relationships were examined between (a) parental responses to questionnaires about home literacy activities and ratings of children's self-regulation at home, both completed annually by the same parent, and (b) children's reading and writing achievement assessed…

This study examined parent-teacher interactions during a photo-sharing project at three early childhood centers that serve as clinical sites for early childhood preservice teachers. Families were provided with a digital camera for one week to document activities they used to support children's early learning and development. Families then…

While parental involvement's effect on student achievement has been explored in current research, and the relationship among parent, teacher, and student is often discussed, no definite guidelines have been stipulated for successful engagement between the three. The purpose of this project was to examine parental involvement practices…