Five year old children starting their formal education in primary schools bring with them a range of informal mathematical understandings. Transitioning from an early childhood setting to the reception class at school can have a profound impact on their developing mathematical concepts. Traditionally their first teachers (parents, caregivers and whanau) gradually remove the support and encouragement and some of the familiar surroundings of their early childhood centres are no longer there. As children from 5 – 13 years of age spend approximately 85% of their time out of school it is important that their first teachers are encouraged to continue that support. This paper outlines a New Zealand project ‘Home School Partnership: Numeracy’ that gives one approach to enhancing children’s mathematical learning through shared understandings between home and school.

Middle school is a critical time in students' learning of mathematics, something a Learning Management System (LMS) is designed to help parents support. What remains unknown is how parents use an LMS to monitor their children's progress in mathematics. This qualitative case study explored how parents from one midAtlantic middle school with 543 students used an LMS, EdLine, to support their children's autonomous achievement in mathematics. Expectancy-value theory and social cognitive theory made up the conceptual framework used to evaluate study findings. A criterion-based process was used to select nine middle school parents from grades 6, 7, and 8 as participants. Data sources included structured interviews and follow-up questions, EdLine spreadsheets, and parent reflective journals. Data were analyzed through a priori codes based on the literature review. Themes that emerged from the analysis included reoccurring learner autonomy and parents benefiting from their ability to use EdLine to monitor grades, check progress, and provide strategies to support mathematical achievement. Parents indicated they could encourage their children, teach them, and expect them to use EdLine to monitor and manage their grades and achievement in mathematics. This research contributes to positive social change by explaining how administrators can help middle school parents use an LMS to become engaged with their children's mathematics studies and set expectations for their mathematics task completion and achievement.

Recent charter school enrollment trends suggest that many parents are choosing to enroll students in charter schools instead of traditional public schools, even though data indicate public school achievement is equal to or above charter schools. Guided by Rogers and Maslow's humanistic theory, the purpose of the study was to examine reasons why parents exercised their right to educational choice and chose charter schools instead of traditional public schools for their children. The study focused on two charter schools, the Learning Academy and the School of Excellence (both pseudonyms), which are located in a large urban and suburban school district in Georgia. In this qualitative case study, data collection occurred through focus groups and individual interviews. The information was then coded, and themes were identified. This resulted in rich descriptions of the beliefs and perceptions of 13 classroom teachers, 2 administrators, and 21 parents from the 2 schools studied. Parents interviewed considered student achievement, school climate, and parent involvement opportunities when choosing the charter school. The analyzed data led me to develop a policy recommendation highlighting professional development for teachers and administrators as well as suggestions for increased parental involvement in public schools. This study has the potential to bring about positive social change by providing insights regarding why charter schools are becoming a better choice for parents through the perceptions of parents, teachers, and administrators. School leaders have the option to implement policy recommendations in a way that promotes student learning, positive school climate, and parental engagement, benefiting students within the district.

No description available.

Cette recherche vise à comprendre les raisons qui incitent les parents immigrants originaires d’Afrique subsaharienne à s’impliquer dans le cheminement scolaire d’un enfant présentant un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA). Spécifiquement, nous décrivons leur rôle parental, leur sentiment de compétence parentale perçu et nous analysons les facilitateurs et les obstacles à leur implication. En nous référant au modèle d’implication parentale de Hoover-Dempsey et Sandler (1995; 1997; 2005; 2010) nuancé par la typologie d’Epstein (1995; 2002; 2018), nous avons pu cerner la réalité de ces parents subsahariens au regard de nos objectifs précités. L’utilisation de l’entretien semi-directif et l’analyse thématique de contenu nous ont menées à des résultats centrés sur le rôle de parent dans la prise en charge des besoins fondamentaux de l’enfant, la collaboration école-famille et l’investissement de temps et d’énergie. Les parents immigrants subsahariens ayant un enfant présentant un TSA perçoivent leur sentiment de compétence au regard de leur rôle parental. Par ailleurs, l’autonomie de l’enfant, la communication ouverte avec l’école, le soutien de la communauté et les stratégies d’investissement de temps et d’énergie facilitent leur implication parentale. Cependant, la spécificité des besoins fondamentaux de l’enfant, la communication école-famille fermée, les méthodes d’intervention divergentes entre l’école et la maison, la barrière linguistique et l’investissement limité de temps et d’énergie ne leur permettent pas de s’impliquer davantage. La discussion nous indique que ces parents subsahariens jouent un rôle parental que nous qualifions de traditionnel. Ainsi, aucune différence notable n’apparait entre les parents non-immigrants et eux. De plus, la perception positive du TSA les motive à s’impliquer dans le cheminement scolaire de leur enfant. Leur implication parentale en contexte scolaire se limite soit au niveau de la consultation et de l’information mutuelle (niveau 1) soit à la concertation et la coordination (niveau 2) du modèle de collaboration école-famille proposé par Larivée (2006; 2011). / This research aims to understand the reasons that encourage immigrant parents from sub-Saharan Africa to get involved in the schooling of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, we describe their parenting role, their perceived sense of parental competence and analyze the facilitators and barriers to their involvement. By referring to the parental involvement model of Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995; 1997; 2005; 2010) nuanced by Epstein's typology (1995; 2002; 2018), we were able to identify the reality of these sub-Saharan parents regarding our mentioned objectives. The use of the semi-structured interview and thematic content analysis led us to results centered on the parent's role in taking care of the basic needs of the child, the school-family collaboration and the investment of time and energy. Sub-Saharan immigrant parents with a child with ASD perceive their sense of competence regarding their parental role. In addition, child autonomy, open communication with the school, community support, and time and energy investment strategies facilitates parental involvement. However, the specificity of the basic needs of the child, the closed school-family communication, the divergent methods of intervention between school and home, the language barrier and the limited investment in time and energy do not allow them to be more involved. The discussion tells us that these sub-Saharan parents play a parental role that we qualify as traditional. Thus, no notable difference appears between non-immigrant parents and them. Furthermore, the positive perception of ASD motivates them to get involved in their child's educational progress. Their parental involvement in a school context is limited either to the level of mutual consultation and information (level 1) or to consultation and coordination (level 2) of the school-family collaboration model proposed by Larivée (2006; 2011).

Thesis (M.Ed. (Community and Continuing Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The study reports on an exploration of the challenges affecting School-Family Community partnerships in two secondary schools located in the remote rural areas of Mogodumo Circuit, in Lebowakgomo District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The main research question answered was. What are the challenges of School-Family-Community partnerships in rural areas at Mogodumo Circuit in Limpopo Province? This study is qualitative in design and is embedded within the interpretive epistemology. The two secondary schools were conveniently sampled due to their accessibility whereas participants were also purposefully sampled. The number of participants sampled was n=32. Data was collected through documents analysis, semi-structured questionnaires involving sampled participants, and observation by the researcher as a silent and non-participant observer. Inductive analysis was applied to arrange and organise data in thematic categories. From the themes discovered, intervention strategies were developed in order to address the challenges affecting the School-Family-Community partnerships at the two rural secondary schools. The study revealed that there is little or no involvement of stakeholders such as parents, community leaders (including priests, pastors, headmen, and the chief), and community based businesspeople, and non-governmental organisations in school events, activities and functions. The study recommends that developmental programmes such as parenting, literacy and numeracy, and parent involvement in the education of their children be organised for parents and community members. These challenges affecting School-Family-Community partnerships need to be dealt with accordingly by the active involvement and engagement of various stakeholders including, more especially, the DBE, SMTs, NGOs, educators, learners, parents, various community members, and private sectors.

No description available.

Thesis (M. Tech)(Education) -- Central university of Technology, Free State, 2007 / The aim of the study is to determine the impediments to parental involvement in the governance of selected primary schools in the Bloemfontein area. It also examines the impact of the principals’ attitudes as perceived by the parents towards their involvement in the governance of the school; the means of communication between the school and parents; whether co-operation between the principal and parents affects school governance; and whether familiarity with parents’ roles as stipulated in the South African Schools Act affects their participation in school governance. The literature was consulted on the segregated education of the previously disadvantaged people under apartheid. The transition from apartheid to education under the new political dispensation, as set out in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 also received attention. The study further addresses the issue of parents’ reluctance to participate in school governance and the views of teachers and parents on their roles in school governance. Ministerial investigation into the effectiveness of school governing bodies is presented and an international perspective on school governing bodies is also provided. A quantitative method using survey research method was employed in this study and a questionnaire was used to collect data. The aim was to elicit responses from the parents in as far as impediments to parental involvement in the governance of schools is concerned. It was revealed, however, that despite the parents’ reluctance to take part in school governance, principals’ attitudes were found to have a positive effect on parental participation in school governance. Methods of communication between the school and the parents were found to be effective, though a suggestion is made for improvement. Parents were found to be willing to co-operate with one another for the betterment of the school. Furthermore, parents were found to be familiar with the roles of members of the school governing body, irrespective of whether they are members of the school governing body or not.

Truancy is one of the problems that exist in schools and affect learners' performance. The aim of the current study was to determine how truancy manifests and also to explore the life world of truants in secondary schools. From the literature review, the two types of truancy, namely blanket truancy and post-registration truancy were described. Various programmes and approaches used in truancy intervention were explored. An empirical investigation was undertaken with a sample of 758 Grade 10 learners from three secondary schools. The results indicated that significantly more males than females engaged in truancy. There is also a significant dependency between learning problems and truancy. The results of the study were analysed and recommendations for intervention and for further study were made. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that cause most Lesotho secondary schools to perform poorly in the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate examinations. The findings of the study show that the problems that contribute to the ineffectiveness of most secondary schools are multiple and interrelated. These problems can be identified at the macro or policy-making level at the Ministry of Education, and at the micro or the individual school level. At macro level, there appears to be a lack of adequate capacity among the senior management staff to perform the management and governance functions effectively, so that substantive improvement could be realised in the day-to-day operations, and academic results of schools. An upshot of this is that the professional support that the Ministry of Education provides to secondary schools is inadequate. Furthermore, despite the deepening poverty in Lesotho, the state does not provide textbooks to learners in secondary schools. Consequently, many learners do not have all the textbooks, and this affects their learning negatively. At micro level, the problems that contribute to the ineffectiveness of most secondary schools include teacher tardiness, teacher absenteeism and a lack of learner determination. It is contended that these factors indicate that the management of the school principals is weak. Moreover, because of poverty, many parents fail to pay school fees for their children on time. As a result, many learners are frequently sent back home by the principals to fetch money, and this reduces their academic learning time. The study also revealed that prior academic achievement of learners in primary schools is, to a large extent, a major predictor of their achievement in secondary schools. In this regard, the highly effective schools, which have selective admission policies and accept mainly Form A applicants, tend to consistently outperform the average and less effective schools, which have open admission policies. In order to improve the academic performance of secondary schools, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education officials, principals, teachers and learners should work more diligently and refocus their efforts on the core business of schools, namely, teaching and learning. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)