Educators have long recognized that parental and community supports are important underpinnings for children's success in school. With respect to the teaching of writing, however, little research has been conducted to provide evidence of effective practices teachers use to involve parents and communities. As part of a national Canadian study of…

The problem examined in this study deals with the extent to which parental help in preparing for a science fair and parental support for the project affect students' attitudes toward the science fair. Fifty subjects were randomly selected from a group of 110 6th-grade students. There were 28 girls and 22 boys selected from the central-Virginia…

Investigated sixth-grade students' perceptions of parental involvement with homework. Students completed mathematics homework assignments designed to involve parents, then completed surveys examining their experiences. Significant numbers of students believed they did better in school when parents helped with homework, but they had mixed…

Describes Homewood (Illinois) School District's involvement in Back-to-Back, an exchange program for American and French fifth and sixth graders sponsored by Campus International of Westmont (Illinois). Discusses preparations for the exchange, including student education about France and parent preparation to receive French students, and lists the…

This practicum was designed to improve communication among parents, teachers, and sixth-grade students who were housed in an elementary building due to school crowding. A telephone answering machine allowed students and parents to access information about homework, classwork, and upcoming events during evening hours. Additional parent outreach…

This document describes an experimental program which is designed to help students from grade 5 to grade 7 who are working at or slightly below grade level maintain mathematics skills. Students receive nine home-study packets containing two to four lessons each. Parents must make a commitment to supervise the home-study. The 25 lessons presented…

According to a theoretical model, student learning can be raised through separate channels by school autonomy and parental participation. Increased school autonomy increases the rent that can be distributed among stakeholders at the school, while institutions for parental participation empower parents to command a higher share of this surplus, for…

This leaflet gives guidance on effective practice on organizing literacy and numeracy booster classes for pupils in Year 6 schools in England. The literacy and booster program is designed to provide extra, targeted support to those pupils in Year 6 who, without the benefit of the Literacy Hour and daily mathematics lesson since the beginning of…

Most children do not come home from school empty-handed, but laden with one or more assignments to be completed at home and returned to school the next day. Research suggests that parental involvement with homework can enable and enhance its positive effect. This study investigated middle-grades students' perceptions about parental involvement…

A study compared the foreign language proficiency levels and language and cultural attitudes of students involved in two kinds of elementary school Spanish language programs: immersion and Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES). The study also investigated the variation in achievement among children in the same program. Fifth and sixth…

A study investigated effects of a parent volunteer program--a component of the Summer Reading Program of the University of Maryland at College Park--upon children's self-perceptions as readers and their motivation to read. Subjects were 10 students in grades 4 or 6 who were identified as achieving below grade level and who were low motivated…

The effect of parental involvement in school-based exercise and nutrition education was investigated. Elementary students participated in school-home, school-only, or control groups. Pre- and posttesting on physical and knowledge measures indicated family involvement mainly helped improve flexibility and nutrition knowledge. School-based students…

This practicum was designed to improve the self-esteem and self-confidence of black, largely lower-class sixth-graders at a middle school in a predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood. Students were exposed to multicultural resources, including works of literature by and about African-Americans. A cultural awareness workshop for teachers was…

Using surveys and data from the Dallas Public School District (Texas), this study examined the perceptions of parents, students, and teachers about parents' involvement in their children's education and development. In addition, academic achievement at the two study schools was examined. At one school (School A), 63 of 100 parents surveyed…

This booklet (one of a series of 10 booklets in a reading project to benefit Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky) contains 10 stories especially written for sixth graders by educators. The stories are about: a student's coping with a terminal illness and its effect on his classmates; a boy's feelings about his rheumatoid arthritis;…