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The increased use of smartphones and tablets sets the stage for new mobile-based educational programs that seek to increase student learning and engagement in school and at home. This study examines the effectiveness of Escribo Play, a game-enhanced educational program, on preschool students' phonological awareness, word reading, and writing skills. The randomized controlled trial was conducted with 749 students from 62 classrooms from 17 schools located in five cities. Quantitative pretesting and posttesting procedures using standardized instruments were employed. The results indicate that the experimental classrooms that used the 20 games for 3 months gained 68% in their reading scores compared to control classrooms (d =.40). They also gained 48% more in writing scores (d =.20). Multilevel analysis indicated that these findings were statistically significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full-service community schools aim to reduce educational inequality by addressing the multifaceted needs of low-income children and youth. Critical to this task is the ability of these schools to generate sufficient social capital to provide students, families, and teachers with essential resources. Using data from a qualitative case study, this article explores how social capital was manifested in an urban full-service community elementary school. Findings show that the principal, teachers, and staff were important sources of school-based social capital, which enabled the provision of services to students and families. However, resource scarcity and interethnic tensions threatened the expansion of social capital and the school's transformative potential. We discuss implications of these findings for the theory, research, and practice of full-service community schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the need for novice teachers to receive exposure and experiences related to family engagement as part of their academic preparation to better facilitate their actual parent involvement practices. In a graduate-level parent involvement in education course, early childhood educators had an opportunity to engage in a variety of family engagement practices and reflect on the effectiveness and outcomes for the students and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]