The low level of family involvement in school affairs has become a predominant explanation for a wide variety of school problems. Although there is little data to support the two underlying assumptions of this causal relationship, i.e., a decrease in family involvement, and the efficacy of parent participation in enhancing student performance,…

This document reviews evidence on the effects of early childhood intervention programs. A brief discussion of the issues surrounding the support and funding of compensatory education is presented and 10 preschool intervention programs (involving more than 2,000 children in various experimental and control groups) in which evaluation data were…

The goal of the Families Learning Together Program is to design, systematize, field test, evaluate and publish a dual-focus curriculum for teaching adults and children. Adult basic education, parenting, and daily life skills were to be taught to adults as these adults simultaneously taught their children attitudes and skills of the program are…

Some normal and special schools in Portugal were surveyed to test the hypothesis that integration of the handicapped child in normal schools and society is more effective than education in special schools. Data was collected on students' social achievement, psychological adjustment, academic performance, financial costs, family involvement, and…

While the research is clear that family involvement fosters student achievement, it does not clearly describe what family involvement looks like in practice. The authors of this booklet interviewed parents and other family members, teachers, and administrators at four elementary schools and two secondary schools in Oregon and Montana that are…

Current research reveals that schools, families, and communities need strong leadership if they are going to shift away from the traditional models of involvement in which school personnel dominate the interactions. When school leaders create conditions that foster collaborative relationships among the school, families, and the community, the…

Administered psychosocial scales based on concept of social bond to measure alcohol use among 466 college seniors. Found that three psychosocial scales used accounted for 81 percent of variance in current alcohol use. Perceived Parental Approval of Teenage Drinking and Drinking Standards had moderate effect on alcohol use, but Tolerance of Minor…

Discusses the importance of parent involvement in increasing student achievement. Highlights include program ideas for PTA (Parent Teacher Association) and media specialist partnerships; the National PTA Standards for Parent and Family Involvement; technology education programs; and the role of library and media specialists. (LRW)

A study investigated the efficacy of specific interventions (mentoring, parental involvement, and multicultural curricula) on academic achievement of 273 elementary students from low-socioeconomic environments. The interventions had no statistically significant effect on student achievement in any grade. However, by the end of the program,…

The purpose of the present study is threefold. First, the author aims to determine how middle and high school students would perceive and classify a set of homework purposes drawn from relevant literature by conducting an exploratory factor analysis to ascertain the underlying factor structure of these homework purposes. Second, the author…

Now in its third full school year of implementation, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has been drawing praise and blame. It has been praised for its goals of increasing all students' learning, requiring disaggregated data to monitor the progress of major subgroups of students, and having high-quality teachers in all schools. It has been…

The Family Life Early Education Project (FLEEP) operated from September 1993 through August 1994 in Chicago public schools. The project sought to assist parents in acquiring skills that foster their young children's cognitive, social, physical, and emotional development, thus increasing children's readiness for school. To accomplish these goals,…

The theoretical perspectives of school and family partnerships discussed in this report are based on the influences of families and schools on children's learning and development. A review of research deals with three topics: (1) the importance of family environments and involvement; (2) the influence of school environments on family involvement;…

The following two major questions are addressed in this paper: How can the mounting research on the relationship of the home to children's school success be translated into practical action in communities across the nation? And, how can all families become meaningfully involved in children's education? Part of the answer to both those questions is…

The curriculum presented in this document involves a set of learning activities whereby parents can help children increase school achievement. The program emphasizes the idea that when families learn together a bridge of shared knowledge and caring is established between generations. Numerous activities, called "recipes for learning,"…