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We acknowledge the existing educational inequalities that South Africa faces as a result of differences in developmental and equal educational opportunities. The aim with this study was to investigate the role of non-cognitive learning performance variables that affect the learning performance and success of secondary-school learners. Data were collected from a sample of 395 Grade 9 learners. The proposed learning performance structural model was empirically evaluated by using various instruments and was analysed by means of structural equation modelling. The results indicate statistically significant positive relationships between learning performance and cognitive engagement, learning performance and grit, cognitive engagement and conscientiousness, grit and learning motivation, grit and cognitive engagement, learning motivation and parental quality, learning motivation and tenacity, learning motivation and cognitive engagement, and conscientiousness and resilience. Both tenacity and parental quality acted as moderators of the relationship between environmental unfavourableness and cognitive engagement. The selection of variables was more effective in explaining variance in cognitive engagement than in learning performance. The results of the study could be used to facilitate cognitive engagement as a pivotal variable in learning success among secondary-school learners.

Because it is crucial for psychosocial adjustment and lifelong learning, education is the most relevant tool for ensuring inclusion and reducing inequalities. Due to its relationship with positive outcomes, such as life satisfaction, mental health, job performance or SES, academic achievement is a significant phenomenon that impacts students, families, and educational institutions. The present study sought to contribute to the field by reviewing the literature on the determinants that influence the objective achievements of a typical population of middle- to high-school students. Based on the PRISMA statement, a search for related studies was performed in the WoS, EBSCO, and PubMed databases, and 771 studies published between 1930 and 2022 were identified. After screening based on the analysis of abstracts, 35 studies met the selection criteria. The Bronfenbrenner ecological model served as the theoretical rationale for organizing the studies' findings. The results of this review highlight the following determinants of school achievement: (i) Personal factors--gender, personality traits, cognitive abilities and academic background, motivation and self-constructs, stress and problem-solving strategies, and substance use; (ii) Contextual microsystem factors--(a) Family-parental educational background; parenting practices and interactions; parental involvement and support; (b) School-school location; school conditions, responsiveness, and practices; (c) Peers-peer-group disagreement management. This systematic review updates the existing empirical evidence on this topic and highlights the complexity of the phenomenon of academic achievement.

Based on the ecosystem theory and the process-person-context-time model, this study explored the combined effects of parental involvement and perceived school climate on academic burnout among 17,289 high school students by using a questionnaire approach. Polynomial regression with response surface analysis found that (1) the combined effect of parental involvement and perceived school climate significantly predicted academic burnout levels among high school students; (2) high school students with high parental involvement and high perceived school climate had lower levels of academic burnout than those with low parental involvement and low perceived school climate; high school students with low parental involvement and high perceived school climate had lower levels of academic burnout than those with high parental involvement and low perceived school climate; (3) gratitude partially mediated the block variables' effects on high school students' academic burnout. This study provides a new explanatory perspective on the underlying mechanisms of academic burnout among high school students and has certain reference value for future intervention research targeting academic burnout.

Voices from high achieving Black students allow the conversation to move from a deficit way of thinking to an asset-based perspective leading to greater opportunities for academic success. Through the lens of resilience theory and also through examining protective factors, this qualitative study employs an interpretative approach, enabling participants to articulate their individual experiences. Aligned with the theory of human motivation, the findings highlight the significance of Black teachers, race representation and socioeconomic background, as potential catalysts for inspiring students to leverage protective factors such as (a) locus of control, (b) parental support, (c) teacher relationships, (d) peer interactions, and (e) community and church support. By amplifying students' voices, the study contributes to existing literature, offering valuable insights into the lived experiences of Black students. These insights not only enrich academic discourse but provide practical implications for education leaders and policymakers based on the experiences of high achieving graduates.

The aim of this research is to adapt the scales "Homework Management, Homework Effort, Teacher Homework Involvement, Teacher Feedback and Parental Homework Support" into Turkish. The research data were collected from 1,698 secondary school students in grades 5 to 8. The sample was divided into four subgroups and explanatory factor analysis was conducted on two groups and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on two groups. Concurrent validity analyses were carried out on all students. Data were collected from students studying in 24 classes of six different secondary schools in the Maltepe, Kartal and Pendik regions of Istanbul. 49.12% of this group of students are girls and 50.88% are boys, and the mean age of the participants is 11.84 years. In addition to the scales adapted to the Turkish language, homework behavior (homework completion, time spent on homework, going to school without homework) and academic achievement were measured for concurrent validity. The results of the EFA and CFA analyses were similar to the original scales for all scales. These findings regarding the number of sub-dimensions, the placement of scale items within these sub-dimensions, and the concurrent validity scores indicate that the Turkish versions of the five scales are valid and reliable for assessing mathematics homework at the secondary school level.

Prior research on college choice indicates parents are the preferred source of information about college, yet little research exists from the viewpoint of parents, and even less research from the viewpoint of rural and minoritized parents. Using Q methodology, this study explored rural parent viewpoints of what makes college possible. The study was framed in social capital, community cultural wealth, and Perna's conceptual model of college choice. Factor analysis showed five distinct viewpoints and three consensus viewpoints among the parents. The five distinct factor viewpoints focused on academic achievement, college costs, the influence of family and friends, hard work, and staying close to home. Most notably, three consensus statements across all five factors indicated parents did not view teacher or school counselor expectations as important for making college possible. Findings can inform college access program planning and school outreach to parents and offer direction for future research on parent and community capital in college access.

This essay summarizes the literature on the differences in perceptions between adolescent students and parents of parental involvement in education and discusses how such different perceptions are linked to students' academic achievement and other outcomes. We present psychological research on why students' perceptions of parental involvement are stronger predictors of academic outcomes than parents' perceptions. We then highlight empowering student voice as a strategy to improve parental involvement and school-family partnership practices, programs, and policies. Research on student-led parent-teacher conferences is discussed as a real-world example of students actively engaging in school-family interactions. We recommend evidence-based strategies that school leaders and teachers can use to support students in playing an active role in improving school-family partnerships. We conclude by describing gaps in existing research that will benefit from future research on the topic.

Background: A separate, apartheid system of schooling in South Africa entrenched European racialised ideologies of white supremacy that left a legacy of social, economic, and educational inequalities. The 1995 White Paper for Education, the 1996 South African Schools Act, and the Revised National Curriculum Statement outlined steps for equalising education. However, inequalities within the schooling system remain. Aim: The study aimed to understand how principals experience the lasting effects of apartheidera segregationist policies in primary schools and to document principals' solutions. Setting: A meeting of principals who work at primary schools in the Western Cape province. Methods: Researchers purposively sampled four principals from the primary schools represented at the meeting, conducted semi-structured interviews with the principals chosen, and adopted an interpretive approach to analyse findings. Results: This study finds from principals' perspectives that neighbourhood gang violence, and highly unequal funding for schools in different neighbourhoods adversely impact primary school children's education and principals' abilities to lead as a result of context, overcrowding and inequality. Principals note that when parent-led programmes such as the Walking Bus produce a positive effect, the government tends to undercut parents' efforts to work with principals to secure and equalise young children's schooling. Conclusion: Giving greater governance power to parents and principals may help to equalise the extremes of inequalities in primary schools remaining from Nationalist Party policies of the pre-1994 apartheid era. Contribution: This study contributes to primary school principals' ideas for improving primary schoolchildren's education.

Background/purpose: School-based management (SBM) has gained international attention for the promotion of student learning and educational development. Senegal is one of the initiatives of French speaking African countries that adopted the move towards promoting SBM at the school level, but lacks substantial evidence of its effectiveness in enhancing educational quality. In addition, there has yet to be a clear consensus on the heterogeneity of SBM on learning achievement. This study aimed to examine the influences of SBM characteristics on learning achievement and investigate the relationship between them and students' gender status in Senegal primary education. Materials/methods: The study adapted the framework on what matters most in marginalized autonomy and school accountability for better education results. It linked autonomy and accountability, requiring parents and the community to participate in and trust the school. The study applied a multilevel regression model using the cross-sectional dataset of Program d'Analyse des Systemes Educatifsde la Confemen (PASEC) 2019 learning achievements survey. Results: The study revealed that parental and community participation has a positive and statistically significant association with reading scores regardless of student gender. On the other hand, a positive correlation was found regarding information sharing with parents, and a negative correlation concerning school autonomy, but with no significant relationship to reading scores. Conclusion: Participation from parents and the community can improve student learning and mitigate learning gaps in gender status. The findings of this study are expected to provide insight into narrowing the gap in student learning, especially for neighboring countries facing similar issues to Senegal.

The study aimed to determine the level of involvement of working parents and the level of seriousness of the problems they encountered in modular distance learning. It sought to test whether there is a significant relationship between the academic achievement of the students and their parents' level of involvement. This study utilized a descriptive-correlational research design with a questionnaire as a data-gathering tool. Results show that working parents are highly engaged in the new learning modality while their children manifested a satisfactory level of academic performance. The relationship between the overall level of parents' involvement and level of academic achievement was found insignificant, but coaching and tutoring, and monitoring students' compliance flagged a significant relationship with academic achievement. A set of programs was proposed to address problems experienced by parents such as poor internet connection, insufficient resources at home, unclear instructions in the self-learning modules, and distraction from gadgets.

Background: Parents are often involved in their child's homework with the goal of improving their child's academic achievement. However, mixed findings were observed for the role of parental involvement in homework in shaping students' learning outcomes. Aims: The present study examined whether and how the effect of parental involvement in homework on students' performance in science and math varies across sociocultural contexts by considering the degrees of societal collectivism-individualism. Methods: The present study used a large-scale dataset, consisting of participants from 43 countries/regions, to test whether societal collectivism-individualism would moderate the relationship between three types of parental involvement (asking, helping and checking) in homework and elementary school students' academic performance in math and science. Results: The multi-level analyses revealed diverse effects of different parental involvement behaviours for homework. Helping and checking behaviours were generally negatively associated with elementary school students' academic achievement, but asking behaviours were positively associated with their academic achievement. Importantly, the positive effect of asking behaviours was stronger, while the negative effect of helping behaviours was weaker in collectivistic societies than in individualistic societies. Conclusions: The present study highlights the importance of considering the multifaceted nature of parental homework involvement and the sociocultural contexts that vary in collectivism-individualism when evaluating the role of parents in elementary school students' learning in math and science.

This article examines how personal characteristics contribute to the success of homeschooled students in dual enrollment programs and their transition to higher education, the workforce, or the military. It emphasizes the effectiveness of metacognitive strategies in improving academic achievement and challenges misconceptions about socialization outcomes. The review also acknowledges diverse motivations, methods, and approaches used by homeschooling families. Empirical evidence reveals that homeschooled students excel academically, exceeding national averages in tests and college performance. Interviews with three homeschooled students in dual enrollment programs highlight the significance of parental involvement, self-knowledge, time management, collaboration, seeking support, and personal growth through social interactions. The findings emphasize the unique benefits of homeschooling, including flexibility, self-direction, and skill development. The article concludes by discussing the implications for educational practitioners, urging them to utilize the experiences of homeschooled students to adapt their programs to better support dual credit students as a whole.

This study examines the relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement among adolescents and potential mechanisms underlying this relationship. Using data from six waves of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, this study estimated fixed effects models to account for individual-level heterogeneity. Sobel mediation tests were employed to examine the mediating roles of four aspects of school adjustment, namely: (a) academic engagement; (b) compliance with school rules; (c) positive peer relationships; and (d) positive teacher-student relationships. Results revealed that parental involvement is positively associated with adolescents' academic achievement (b = 0.172). Proposed mechanism variables explain approximately 68.6% of the association, with academic engagement being the most salient pathway. The findings highlight the importance of parental involvement in helping adolescents adjust to school environments and improve their academic performance.

Past research provided strong evidence that positive family-school partnerships were not only beneficial for students' school success, but they also helped to promote parental involvement in schooling. However, relatively little is known about teachers' reasons for becoming engaged in family-school partnerships and the benefits of their engagement. In fact, the role of teachers in family-school partnerships requires prosocial actions (e.g., helping, sharing, feeling empathy). As guided by self-determination theory, previous studies suggest that prosocial-oriented persons tend to take prosocial actions and these actions tend to promote a social connection, thereby promoting well-being. To the best of our knowledge, this assumption has not been applied to research on family-school partnerships yet. The aim of this study was to examine whether teachers' prosociality would be associated with their well-being at work (i.e., job satisfaction, work-related self-esteem) and whether this connection would be mediated by teacher engagement in family-school partnerships. Using the framework of the Vodafone Foundation Germany, we focused on two important aspects of teacher engagement: effective communication and educational cooperation. A total of 190 teachers (72% females; mean age: 44.78 years) participated in an online-survey. In line with SDT, teachers' prosociality was associated with greater well-being at work even after controlling for teachers' background (age, gender, experience, school track). As expected, this connection was partially mediated by teacher engagement in family-school partnerships. The results and implications of the present study are discussed.

The present study examined both mothers' reports and adolescents' perceptions of parents' educational involvement and their effects on the adolescents' functioning in school. The sample was drawn from 5 urban schools in Israel. Participants were 449 eighth grade students/adolescents (Female = 47%) and 126 mothers. Adolescents and their mothers completed parallel parents' educational involvement questionnaires, and adolescents completed questionnaires on learning strategies and self-evaluation. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses, based on the mothers' reports and adolescents' perceptions of parents' educational involvement revealed three factors: home-based, school-based, and communication-based knowledge of adolescents' activities in school. The analysis showed no relation between mothers' reports and adolescents' perceptions. However, adolescents' perceptions of their parents' educational involvement were significant predictors of the adolescents' learning strategies, self-evaluation, and academic achievement. Findings underline the congruence and incongruence between mothers and their adolescents, and the significant role parents play in their adolescents' schooling according to the adolescents' perceptions.

In this article I explore the emotional resources activated by single mothers to support their adolescent children's educational journeys. Mothers' emotional work is often regarded as something that mothers must do (Gillies, 2006). However, this view does not recognise the power and influence that mothers exert to create opportunities for educational success. By centring the mother as the head of her family and drawing on the concept of emotional capital as a legitimate and valuable resource within single-mother families, it becomes possible to show how mothers in a low socio-economic community invest in their children's schooling. This article is based on a qualitative case study of single-mother families from a South African community. The findings show that the single mothers maintained strong bonds with their children, which enhanced perceived support and contributed positively to their education. Maintaining open communication channels, demonstrating authoritative parenting, and communicating pride in non-academic qualities were significant emotional practices that served to maintain these strong bonds. By engaging in these practices, these single mothers from low-income contexts activated their emotions strategically to support their adolescent child's education.

This paper shares the results of a meta-analysis on the parental-relational component of parental-involvement and its association with the academic and behavioral outcomes of urban students. This meta-analysis includes 76 quantitative studies. The results indicated that statistically significant effects emerged across students of different backgrounds, including differences by age groups, race, gender, and nationality. The results were also substantial in the highest quality studies. The significance of these results is discussed.

Research on parental involvement is broad and specifies diverse kinds of parental practices that have specific associations with children's learning outcomes. However, the involvement of parents in education, the dynamics of parent-child interactions and the actions and practices they employ and their impact on student's motivation and achievement are intricate processes characterised by numerous intervening variables that require further clarification. In this study, we aimed to examine the association between parental beliefs and involvement and their children's motivation and mathematics achievement. Data were collected from 8071 third- and fourth-graders from six European countries and their parents. Students fulfilled the Expectancy-Value Scale, self-reporting on motivational aspects towards mathematics and performed two math tests to assess their performance. Parents also reported on their math attitudes, mindsets and involvement practices with their children. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modelling. Several theoretically meaningful associations were found in the tested model, showing the detrimental impacts of a fixed mindset on parents' practices. Furthermore, we found significant relationships between parents' attitudes towards mathematics, their practices and students' perceptions of math-related values and cost. Finally, associations between parental practices, the child's outcomes and the association between children's mathematics motivation and achievement were also observed. Some implications are presented, particularly concerning interventions with parents.

Introduction: Extensively researched in the realm of education, the involvement of parents in their offspring's academic performance has been the subject of increased attention. This article aims to examine the impact of parental contribution on their children's scholastic accomplishments, concentrating on the statistical correlation between the two. Methods: This study used qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the association between parents' involvement and academic results. Results: Results show that parental involvement boosts academic performance. Discussion: Understanding the impact of parental education on children's academic performance is essential for educators, policymakers, and families alike, as it highlights the importance of fostering an educationally rich environment for children to thrive. Limitations: The data of this study were collected from a survey of 356 parents from different schools in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Conclusions: The study's findings show that parental involvement positively impacts students' academic outcomes by 42.1%.

The purpose of this study was to provide initial evidence of the effectiveness of Check-In/Check-Out-High School (CICO-HS) on high school student outcomes. Check-In/Check-Out-High School is a version of CICO, an established Tier 2 intervention designed to improve student academic and social behavior, adapted to increase effectiveness and feasibility in high schools. Key adaptations in CICO-HS include increased student agency through goal setting and self-rating, and increased efficiency through use of a mobile application for data collection, progress monitoring, and family communication. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted during the 2021-2022 school year and included 14 ninth grade students in one public high school in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Students were randomly assigned to receive CICO-HS or a waitlist/control condition. Although underpowered, the RCT results showed meaningful improvements (small to moderate effect sizes) in student attendance (unexcused tardies and absences) and teacher ratings of student academic and social behaviors. Moreover, students and school personnel rated CICO-HS components as being socially acceptable to implement in high school. Implications for future research to replicate and expand study findings and for practice to scale up CICO-HS with fidelity in high schools are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) about computing devices. Seven families with ASD children were interviewed about their children's use of computer devices and their impact on their academic and social behavior. Although parents raised concerns about internet addiction and cybersecurity, these devices were part of their children's daily routines and were used for educational and entertainment purposes. Occasionally, targeted activities such as video modeling have been used to address personal and social behaviors. However, the results suggested that parents were unprepared to help their children due to a lack of knowledge, community support, and resources.

The aim of this paper is to encourage researchers to employ qualitative methodologies when studying the negative aspects in educational leadership. To this end, I focus on one negative aspect in organization -- abusive leadership and use it to exemplify the benefits of qualitative research and its potential methodologies. More specifically, I pose two questions: (1) How can the qualitative research improve our understanding of abusive leadership in schools; (2) what are the practical tools to study abusive educational leadership from a naturalistic perspective? Through qualitative research methods, researchers are likely to explore the complexity of human behavior and thereby generate deeper understanding of leaders' negative behaviors as well as of toxic interactions in the school. In this paper, I emphasize the epistemological contributions of qualitative methodologies to the research on abusive educational leadership and probe into the kind of knowledge we may gain when employing these methodologies.

This article describes how teaching deaf students to read has been challenging and contentious, yet, one crucial attribute to developing reading skills is early exposure to American Sign Language (ASL). ASL seemed to serve as a bridge to achieving English literacy and academic success partly because early use of ASL enables deaf students to activate a variety of strategies to successfully develop reading skills. These include: (1) Sign language phonology; (2) Skill of eye gaze; and (3) Fingerspelling. The article describes how teachers can use these pre-literacy reading skills. As young deaf children embark on their literacy journey in the classroom, these pre-literacy skills enable them to more easily succeed in learning how to read and write.

Parents are broadly acknowledged to be essential partners in the schooling process of their children, with parental involvement being linked to positive impact on academic achievement. Regrettably, poor parental involvement remains significate and an unfortunate challenge in South African schools, as well as a contributing factor to high failure rates in schools. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between parental involvement and the academic achievements of learners in secondary schools in the Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga, using Epstein's theory of overlapping spheres of influence as a theoretical lens. A qualitative research design underpinned by the interpretive paradigm was employed, using a sample of two secondary schools with a purposive sample of principals, teachers and parents. Data for the study was obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted with the principals and through focus group discussions conducted with teachers and parents, respectively. The data was gathered through thematic analysis approach. The findings obtained reveal that parental involvement improves discipline and learner achievement. However, various factors hindered parent involvement, such as the lack of confidence in providing assistance to children with homework, conflicts in home-school scheduling, ineffective communication, and reluctance to attend parent meetings and to serve on governance structures. The study recommends that both teachers and parents should establish good home-school relationships, teacher training for parent involvement should be organised, with schools developing a parent involvement programme, so that a viable collaborative partnership can be established between school and home.

The present study is an attempt to give a holistic and bigger picture of the relations between family contextual factors and academic achievement by employing second-order meta-analysis to synthesize results from first-order meta-analyses. Thirteen first-order meta-analyses included in this study represent more than one thousand culturally diverse studies and cover 70 years of scholarship from 1950 to 2020. The findings revealed that the strength of the relationship between family contextual factors and achievement was at a medium level. The moderator analyses showed that family SES represented a stronger relationship with student achievement than parental behaviors such as parental involvement or expectations. We found no significant differences among other moderators, such as the academic subject domain, culture, quality assessment, report types, and year range.

Adolescents' interaction with their parents at home is pivotal for their physical and mental health, which can further influence their academic achievement at school. However, every culture has distinctive parenting elements which are distinguishable from other cultures. This study explored the influence of parenting styles on adolescents' academic achievement through the mediation role of learning engagement in a Chinese cultural context. A questionnaire was distributed among parents and students, and 1,557 valid responses were received and analyzed using SPSS software, PROCESS macro, Microsoft Excel, and JASP. The results indicated a positive and significant effect of parenting styles on students' academic achievement, with students' learning engagement partially mediating such relationship. Dimension-wise, parents' emotional acceptance positively influenced students' academic achievement, but rejecting and overprotecting them had negative repercussions. A comparison between fathers and mothers showed a higher effect of mothers' parenting styles compared to that of fathers. Generally, students' behaviors result from different forces which act in and outside them, making this study a wake-up call for cherishing collective efforts from parents, teachers, and students toward improving academic performance.

Learners' underperformance in primary schools in informal settlements is a concern worldwide. Families living in urban informal settlements of Windhoek, Namibia face overwhelming social and economic challenges, which affect children's academic performance. A qualitative inquiry was informed by Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory with reference to the microsystem, mesosystem, and the exosystem, which emphasizes the complex interactions between individuals and their environment. Three primary schools were selected in the informal settlements of the Khomas Region, Windhoek, Namibia and a purposive sample of participants was chosen comprising school teachers, principals, school board chairpersons, parents, and Grade 7 learners. Data were collected by semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed according to themes. Findings indicated that challenges in the microsystem (poverty and socio-economic context), mesosystem (parental engagement and peer pressure), and exosystem (school infrastructure) were the main contributory factors to poor learner performance in the selected schools. The interconnectedness between learners and their ecological systems and how these systems interact have a direct bearing on learner performance.

In the study reported on here, we analysed parents' involvement in their children's primary education in 4 primary schools in rural Malawi, focusing on the home and the school. Through interviews and focus-group discussions, information was obtained from 19 parents, 24 teachers (6 from each school), and 4 head teachers. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory was used to design the study and to interpret the data, focusing mainly on the micro- and mesosystem elements. The home and school settings represent the autonomous microsystem, whereas parental involvement is part of the mesosystem. The microsystem appeared to be active both with learner-parent and learner-teacher actions; however, mesosystemic interactions were limited. We found that parents and teachers needed to develop stronger mutual relationships and interactions to support learners better. Schools also need to communicate positive aspects of children's learning to the parents. Enhancing positive reinforcement could enhance parental involvement.

Studies exploring homeschooling typically focus on comparing homeschoolers to conventionally schooled peers on a range of academic outcomes. Largely absent from the literature are within-group studies designed to identify experiences that facilitate (or hinder) homeschoolers' academic outcomes. The aim of this paper is to describe a heuristic model outlining ways the home environment, instructional practices, parent characteristics, child characteristics, and the broader context might relate to homeschoolers' academic competence. The heuristic model is attentive to the possibility that these relations might vary as a function of child characteristics. In addition, the potential for transactional and mediated relations is considered.

Using register data and linked student-level sociometric survey data from the Netherlands, this study examines whether the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling outcomes (track recommendation and track enrollment in the seventh and ninth grades) is conditional on students' academic and social embeddedness in the school setting. We estimated the counterfactual outcomes for the cohort that went through the school transition during the pandemic based on the outcomes of the pre-pandemic cohort, with similar earlier achievements, schools, and social backgrounds. Results show that the pandemic's effect on tracking outcomes is weaker than its effect on student test scores elsewhere reported. Nevertheless, the pandemic has had stronger adverse impact on disadvantaged students. Moreover, student self-efficacy, academic motivation, and parental involvement are related to more negligible negative pandemic effects on schooling outcomes. We find no evidence for an association between student grit or parental network centrality and the magnitude of estimated pandemic effects.

This article investigates the relationship between school-level factors associated with school quality and progress in student attainment in English secondary schools. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between frequency of classroom observation of teaching (by school leaders or by fellow teachers) in English secondary schools and progress in student attainment. It details findings of a quantitative phase of analysis within a broader mixed-methods study with the purpose of informing best practice in school development in Austria. Results suggest that students attending schools in which leaders and teachers perceive a greater emphasis on policy concerning quality of teaching tend to achieve greater progression in attainment relative to peers. Whilst frequency of classroom observation by leadership staff does not appear to be associated with progress in student attainment, students attending schools in which classroom observation is undertaken by fellow teachers with greater frequency tend to achieve greater progress in attainment relative to peers.

Transition to kindergarten is an important developmental milestone for children and families. This study explored factors associated with kindergarten readiness focusing on the impact of a summer kindergarten transition program. A mixed-method design was employed, and the qualitative data from interviews with 16 randomly selected kindergarten teachers and the quantitative data of assessment scores of 320 kindergarteners were analyzed. Compared with children who were eligible but did not participate in the transition program, those who participated in the program had significantly more family engagement and stronger home-school relations. Smaller class sizes were associated with children's higher readiness scores in both academic achievement and social-emotional development. Larger school enrollment was associated with children's higher readiness scores in academic achievement, more family engagement, and stronger home-school relations. Higher school poverty was associated with children's lower readiness scores in social-emotional development. The findings can be used to inform program development and policymaking.

This study critically investigates the social economic predictors of parental involvement in rural schools in Kenya and its implications on teaching and learning. Education is a major foundation for socioeconomic growth and the provision of quality education. However, teaching and learning are affected by various socioeconomic factors that this study seeks to investigate. Among the social economic predictors, family size, household income level and parents' level of education were found to significantly influence teaching and learning outcomes in Kenya's rural schools. Large families with small household income face challenges in paying school-related levies; acquire learning and teaching materials, book for extra learning activities and support co-curricular activities for their children. The article also presents the policy implications of the study, particularly on issues related to family size and household income level in parents' level of education in rural school settings.

Parents boost STEM skills by scaffolding children's attention and discovery during play, but many need support doing so. Using human-centered design (HCD) methods, we created activity kits fostering parents' (a) involvement in and (b) valuing of parent-child play to promote preschoolers' STEM skills. Study 1 documents how HCD methods informed the design of guided activity kits. In initial home visits, we videorecorded six parent-child dyads playing with basic building materials. Play revealed minimal parental STEM scaffolding and talk. Collaborating with 18 families and drawing on prior research, parent interviews, videotaped play sessions, and advisory-board members' expertise, the interdisciplinary research team designed and refined activity kit prototypes. Study 2 was a randomized field test comparing use and evaluation of final guided kits (n = 50) versus basic kits (n = 25) that contained identical building materials and challenges but omitted scaffolding guides. Both groups received kits by mail every other week for 10 weeks. Relative to parents given basic kits, parents given guided kits (a) reported significantly more sustained use of the kits across the 10 weeks, (b) felt more self-efficacy in fostering their child's STEM learning, and (c) judged that their child had achieved greater STEM-skill learning from program use.

Parental involvement in early childhood education significantly impacts children's academic, socio-emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Extensive research indicates that parental involvement plays a more influential role in a child's academic success compared to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or educational background. However, a noticeable gap exists between the desired and actual levels of parental involvement, often attributed to identifiable barriers. This study aims to delineate these obstacles and proposes cost-effective, actionable steps to overcome them. We introduce specific strategies that enhance the homeschool partnership and recommend that schools actively teach and promote these activities. These practices highlight the dual importance of parental support for school-based learning and school support for home-based activities.

Purpose: As part of a larger grant-funded project, a professional development (PD) series was conducted within the framework of a school-university partnership to improve teachers' capacity to meaningfully include fathers and father figures in the school environment, with a particular focus on fathers of children with disabilities. The authors sought to understand the extent to which a school-wide PD framed through the lens of a father of a child with a disability might inform practice with sustainable implementation. Due to the pandemic, the original format of the PD was redesigned for virtual delivery. Design/methodology/approach: A three-phase data collection and analysis approach included a pre-PD survey, a post-PD survey and a one-year follow-up survey. All surveys included both quantitative and qualitative self-report data components. Findings: Results suggest school personnel found the virtual PD valuable, gleaning several useful strategies for reflecting on their own practices, working to improve communication with families of children with disabilities and more meaningfully including fathers and father figures in future school-related activities and programing. Research limitations/implications: First, the sample size of the present study was small, and participation was variable across PD sessions. In addition, participants self-selected into the series, and therefore, they may be more likely to value father-figure involvement with or without participation in the PD series. The small sample size may minimize the generalizability of these results across other replicable settings and participants. Second, the results of the pre-PD survey could be positively skewed since the university partner's initial delivery of PD related to this topic began in 2018. In the pre-PD survey, the majority of respondents indicated, as an example, that they believed father involvement was correlated with higher academic achievement. It is not clear if respondents held these beliefs independently at the inception of the partnership or if they perhaps learned of these connections during an earlier PD offered by the authors. Practical implications: The current study offers a small glimpse into the world of a school-university partnership and its ability to actualize meaningful reflection on family engagement practices. Results also indicate a greater awareness of significant male figures/fathers and their needs. Content delivered during each PD supports capacity building in terms of teachers' ability to see fathers and father figures as meaningful contributors within the context of the school environment. Participants mentioned that the PD taught them ways to recognize and remediate some of the insidious communication barriers that exist. Social implications: Participants stated that they grew in their understanding of intentional connections with significant male figures, noting a concerted effort to ensure communication of information pertaining to school events, conferences and, in some cases, individualized educational programs (IEPs). Staff members also felt as though the pandemic fostered greater connections with fathers who were working at home and who were simultaneously helping their children access online learning platforms. However, it is noteworthy that the latter benefit was likely a positive side effect of mandatory home-based learning as opposed to a direct result of the present study. Socially, the authors all find ourselves embarking on a bit of social uncertainty, where perhaps it is no longer appropriate or significant to mention one's gender. Nonetheless, the research highlights the unique contributions that fathers and father figures can make to children's positive trajectory, and the authors espouse that the current study suggests that virtual PD sessions can help train school personnel to recognize and foster such relationships. Originality/value: The past few decades have ushered in an awareness of significant male involvement and its importance in the development of young children. Despite this surge of interest, the research on father/significant male involvement in the school context remains limited. Additionally, the implementation of virtual PD and its potential positive impacts remain largely unexplored, especially when the intersection with father engagement practices is considered. As such, the authors espouse that the present study reflects a unique combination of content and pedagogy.

South Asians, including Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani Americans, are considered a model minority and is one of the fastest growing in the US, financially stable, and highly educated ethnic subgroups in the U.S. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of cultural background and household structure on parental involvement in their bilingual children's academic achievement. The survey instrument was distributed via online and directly to first generation Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani (FGBIP) parents of children studying K-12 in public schools throughout Southwest Florida. The correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis reflected that family's cultural background and household structure had no statistically significant relationships with parental involvement activities and their bilingual children's academic achievement. The results of this study have potential implications for policy makers, educational leaders, educators, and parents to explore various factors and develop policies for bilingual students to promote student academic achievement.

Educational decentralisation has been implemented globally. However, few studies have compared the effects of different decentralisation strategies on students' academic achievement in diverse cultural contexts. Using data from 49 countries participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, this study attempts to fill this research gap by examining the relationship between three delegation strategies (school autonomy, teacher participation and parental involvement), student achievement and societal culture. Our findings suggest that teacher participation in school management is the most effective educational decentralisation strategy for enhancing students' mathematics, reading and science performance. This strategy is particularly effective in countries with high power distance. The findings indicate that parental involvement does not have a significant effect on student academic achievement and that its effect is suppressed by a culture of uncertainty avoidance. Furthermore, school autonomy does not have a significant effect on students' academic achievement in any of the societal cultures examined.