Low-income families face myriad stressors and challenges that often negatively affect students' reading achievement. Although community partners are crucial in supporting K-12 students, there is little research on how different types of community services affect students' reading achievement in Title I schools. The present study aims to assess the…

The purpose of this study was to systematically review research on the relationship between parent engagement and student reading outcomes in Title I schools at Kindergarten level. The following research questions guided this study: (1) What is the relationship between parent engagement and student reading literacy outcomes in low socioeconomic…

During the 2016-2017 school year, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) Department implemented a parent engagement program for 5,281 students enrolled at nine participating campuses. This evaluation examined the relationships between parents' attendance at APTT program group meetings and students'…

During the 2015-2016 academic year, the parents of 4,974 students participated in APTT [Academic Parent Teacher Teams] at 10 Title 1 elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Students were predominately economically disadvantaged and at risk of dropping out of school. The impact of the program was assessed using the…

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (N = 13,970), we examined whether two aspects of school-family connections, parental involvement and communication quality, accounted for the association between classroom composition and children's academic and socioemotional functioning following the transition to…

This study seeks to deconstruct the process by which home-school relationships develop. This study suggests these relationships develop as the result of "crossings" between home and school where crossings lead to foundational interactions that establish these relationships. Using data from the U.S. Department of Education's Early…

This article reports on the study of differential change trajectories for early childhood approaches to learning. A large sample (N = 2,152) of Head Start children was followed through prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade. Classroom learning behaviors were assessed by teachers through the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale twice in Head…

This descriptive study explored teachers' outreach to families in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, and its relations to children's early growth in language, literacy, and mathematics. Teachers (n = 62) completed surveys reporting the frequency of outreach practices to families, and children's (n = 210) early academic skills…

Public schools struggle with ways to encourage parental involvement in the classroom. Home and school collaboration is needed if students are to succeed academically. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was a significant difference in the reading achievement of students by the number of workshop sessions attended by parents…

In this study, a school district adopted Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS), a scientifically based, class-wide peer-tutoring program for reading. Sixteen new K-PALS teachers were assigned randomly to receive ongoing support from a university expert or from experienced K-PALS teachers within the district. K-PALS teachers who…

Reading First addresses a critical need by providing high quality reading instruction to public school students throughout the nation. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 31% of fourth graders are at or above the proficient level in reading (Perie, Grigg, & Donahue, 2005). Evidence suggests…