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Middle grades teachers want early adolescents to take responsibility for their own learning and success in school. One way to encourage this is with "interactive homework," which enables students to lead conversations with a parent or family partner about something interesting they are learning in class. An exploratory study tested whether eighth graders would talk with a parent about the transition to high school and about the roles parents may play to support student success in grade 9. Studies indicate that parents make the transition to high school "with" their students, but many are unsure of how to sustain age-appropriate engagement in their teen's education. We found that students were able and willing to conduct discussions on four critical issues that determine success or failure in high school: attendance, course passing, GPA, and motivation to succeed. In written comments for each assignment, students were thoughtful and hopeful about entering grade 9 and graduating from high school on time. Parents were positive about their interactions with their early adolescents. Importantly, when parents enjoyed a conversation with their students, they were significantly more likely to say that they gained insights into the importance of on-going engagement in their student's education in high school. [The is the pre-print version of an article that will be published in "Middle School Journal."]

This report summarizes research conducted primarily over the past 10 years on how families' involvement in children's learning and development through activities at home and at school affects the literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills of children ages 3 to 8. A total of 95 studies of family involvement are reviewed. These include both descriptive, nonintervention studies of the actions families take at home and at school, and intervention studies of practices that guide families to conduct activities that strengthen young children's literacy and math learning. The family involvement research studies are divided into four categories: (1) Learning activities at home, including those that parents engage in to promote their child's literacy and/or math skills outside school; (2) Family involvement at school, including the actions and interactions that families have while in the school building; (3) School outreach to engage families, including the strategies that schools and teachers use to engage families and make them feel welcome; and (4) Supportive parenting activities, including the nature and quality of the parent-child relationship and home environment, rule-setting, and caring behaviors. Key Findings include: (1) Family involvement is important for young children's literacy and math skills. The majority of studies, including some randomized control trials (RCTs), demonstrate this positive link. A few studies show positive relations with social-emotional skills. The weakest association was between family involvement at school and children's outcomes. (2) Parents from diverse backgrounds, when given direction, can become more engaged with their children. When parents are more engaged, children tend to do better. (3) This review also provides recommendations for additional lines of inquiry and implications to guide next steps in both research and practice. While there is still more to learn about how to connect with and support caretakers' efforts to promote children's learning, what we already know from extant research can help guide this process. More children attend preschool and all-day kindergarten than ever before, and educators are being urged by federal, state, and local institutions to use research-based or evidence-based approaches to improve their work with families and families' involvement with their children and the school. This review strengthens the belief that interventions to boost family involvement may be a critical piece when trying to support children's early learning. Appendices include: (1) Studies of Family Involvement in Literacy Activities and Math Activities and Social-Emotional Outcomes. (2) Examples from the Field: Family Involvement Activities with Young Children; and (3) Glossary. [This paper was written with the assistance of Therese Leung. This literature review was funded through a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation under Grant Number 2013-30.]

A survey of educators in 161 U.S. schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) examined the preparation of teachers to work with families and communities. The survey included questions on the demographic characteristics and present course offerings of the SCDE; attitudes and perspectives of the respondents about school, family, and community partnerships; expectations or readiness for change in programs to prepare teachers, administrators, and counselors on partnerships; and open-ended questions for comments on these issues. Data analysis indicated that most respondents strongly believed in the importance of all teachers, principals, and counselors knowing how to conduct practices to involve families and communities in students' education, though few believed students graduating from SCDEs were fully prepared to do so. Most SCDEs offered at least one course and some coverage of the issue, but not enough to prepare all necessary people. Most respondents whose SCDE was not covering diverse topics on school, family, and community partnerships believed they should do so. The five appendixes present the survey questionnaire, a list of colleges and universities, regions and states of participating SCDEs, course titles, and national and state accrediting organizations. (Contains 22 references.) (SM)

This study analyzes survey data from 423 parents at 6 high schools in Maryland--2 rural, 2 urban, and 2 suburban. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore the effects of the high schools' programs of partnership on parental attitudes and reports of involvement in their teens' learning both at home and at school. The findings show that parental attitudes toward school are positively influenced by schools' partnership programs. Further, the study suggests that different types of school practices result in different parental involvement behaviors. Specifically, parental reports of involvement at home are positively and significantly influenced by school practices that assist parenting and facilitate interactions with teens on learning activities at home. Similarly, parental reports of involvement at home are most strongly influenced by school practices to involve families. The results remain constant when controlling on family and student background characteristics such as race, gender, and academic performance, and on parental employment and educational background. It is concluded that high schools that develop strong programs of partnership that include practices for different types of involvement are likely to improve parental attitudes toward the school and encourage greater family involvement at school and at home. (Contains 5 tables and 26 references.) (SLD/Author)

Researchers established the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University's Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships to guide schools, districts, and state departments of education to create positive, permanent programs of partnership, to recognize and disseminate their efforts, and to learn from the various approaches that are implemented in diverse policy environments and at all levels of schooling. This paper presents a "virtual tour" of the National Network of Partnership Schools' Web site. The Web site (http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000) is designed as a technological tool to help members develop, maintain, and improve their partnership programs. The Web site consists of eight main sections that organize the content. From the eight "buttons" on the home page (Partnership Program, Membership, Frequently Asked Questions, Membership Services, Publications, In the Spotlight, Contact the Staff, and Links), visitors branch off into content-rich pages that describe the information necessary to become a member of the Network and to strengthen current members' partnership programs. Future plans for the Web site are also discussed. (Author/LPP)

To better understand how some secondary schools are working to encourage continued family and community involvement as children progress from elementary to middle and high school, 22 educators, parents, and students at 2 middle schools and 2 high schools were interviewed. The four schools are members of the National Network of Partnership Schools, which brings together and provides technical assistance to schools, districts, and states committed to developing comprehensive and permanent programs of school-family-community partnership. This report is organized in five sections. The first section discusses social networks, social capital, and a theory of overlapping spheres of influences to elucidate the conceptual foundations for school-family-community partnerships. The second section outlines and discusses essential elements of a comprehensive program of school-family-community partnerships. This section describes a framework of six types of family-community-involvement and an action team approach to partnerships. The third and fourth sections of the paper describe partnership programs at two middle schools and two high schools, respectively. These sections report the schools' progress and the challenges they face in developing schoolwide programs of partnership. The concluding section situates the study's findings within the broader context of current literature on school-family-community partnerships at the secondary level. An appendix contains the interview protocol. (Contains 39 references.) (Author/SLD)

This report summarizes the preliminary results from surveys of teachers, parents, and students in six Maryland high schools about their attitudes toward and needs for school, family, and community partnerships. Data from 420 families indicate that they feel welcome at their teens' high schools, but a large majority want to be more involved and to receive better information about how to help their teens. Data from over 1,300 students illustrate the variation in teens' attitudes and competencies, and point to an important role for students in school and family partnerships. Students want to be more involved, and over half want their parents more involved with their schools. Data from 150 teachers show that just about all believe that involvement is important, but two-thirds say they need more training to know how to involve families. These and other results are discussed to show how the schools involved in the High School and Family Partnerships Project used their survey results to plan and implement new practices to inform and involve families. Suggestions are made to help other high schools apply the results of this study to their own efforts to develop or strengthen school, family, and community partnerships. (Contains 29 references.) (SLD)

The High School and Family Partnership Project began in 1991 with two urban, two suburban, and two rural high schools in Maryland to learn more about whether basic theories, frameworks, and practices of family, student, and community involvement are appropriate at the high school level; how schools can develop and implement such practices; and how partnerships affect the students, families, teachers, and communities involved. This report is the first in a series on these high schools as they work to develop and improve their partnerships with students, families, and communities. It explores where schools start in their thinking about partnerships. The starting point is called a "trust fund" to recognize that each school's past practices can be built upon to create further partnerships, and also to recognize that trust among the participants is a primary condition for developing successful practices of partnership over time. This report describes the "trust funds" of the six schools, combining existing practices and ideas for new implementations. The activities are categorized according to a framework of six types of involvement that will help these and other high schools plan and monitor the development of more comprehensive programs of partnership. One table summarizes trust fund contents. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/SLD)

A study was done of the effects of school practices and curriculum offerings on eighth graders nationally. The study used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, a survey of 24,600 eighth graders in 1,035 public and independent schools as well as the Hopkins Enhancement Survey of school practices. The results reveal that in many schools students are not offered real challenges in advanced academic courses and have few opportunities to experience rich instructional approaches that develop higher level skills. However, when these opportunities to learn are extended, students of all levels of ability benefit in higher achievement and more positive attitudes. Other findings include the following: (1) students in homogeneously grouped algebra classes, regardless of the ability level of the class, perform better than do students in heterogeneous algebra classes; (2) heterogeneous grouping in English classes does not disadvantage high-, average-, or low-ability students; (3) opportunities to learn through frequent experiences with high level instructional approaches influence eighth graders' achievements and attitudes; and (4) generally, the results suggest the need for greater equity in access to advanced curriculum offerings and challenging instructional approaches for all students. Included are 11 tables, 1 figure, 2 appendixes with 2 tables, and 30 references. (JB)

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; and (3) the effect of school-family partnerships on students, parents, and teachers. It is emphasized that effective practices of partnership are developmental and responsive to the common and different needs of families. Discussion of types of involvement that help families and schools fulfill their responsibilities for children's learning and development focuses on basic obligations of families and schools; parent involvement in schools and in home learning activities; and parent and community involvement in decision making, governance, and advocacy. Also examined is involvement that adds the community as a sphere of influence. Included in the discussion are implications for future research, practice, and evaluation that relate to teacher and administrator education and training, policy development, and new ways of thinking about shared responsibilities for children. Appended are 115 references. (GLR)

Programs that have the potential to improve all intermediate grade students' opportunities for learning are identified and examined in this report. This 1989 review of over 200 programs focuses on 80 programs that stress high academic content or new access for educationally disadvantaged students in the middle grades. However, none can be labelled "effective" due to serious measurement and evaluation problems. Following a preface and an introduction, chapter 1 discusses important issues underlying the identification of promising programs for disadvantaged students in the middle grades and their common components. Chapter 2 offers examples of programs to improve mathematics, reading, writing and language arts, thinking skills, science, and social studies. Common themes of the programs are discussed in the third chapter, which highlight the belief that all students can learn; the importance of commitment; the limitations and benefits of pullout programs; the view of the educational system as a community; and the need for both prevention and treatment programs. Appendices include a directory of promising programs in each of the subject areas and the survey and discussion guide. (50 references) (LMI)

In the summer of 1989, Summer Home Learning Packets in mathematics and language arts were distributed to seventh and eighth graders at Calverton Middle School (Maryland). The packets contained review exercises for students to complete with the help of their parents. In the first of the two studies reported in this document, "Reactions of Parents and Student to Summer Home Learning Pockets in the Middle Grades" (Joyce L. Epstein and Susan C. Herrick), students and parents were surveyed concerning their opinions on the packets. Results indicated that families appreciated the school's efforts. Parents and students offered recommendations for improving the packets. In the second study, "Effects of Summer Home Leaning Packets on Student Achievement in Language Arts in the Middle Grades" (Joyce L. Epstein and Susan C. Herrick, the effects of the learning packets on students' language skills were examined. An English achievement test was given to sixth graders in the spring of 1990, and again in the fall of the seventh grade, after students had worked on the learning packets during the summer. Results indicated that, in general, students' scores in the posttest were predicted by their scores in the pretest. However, for students who were marginal in skills, the number of packet activities completed in the summer was related to an increased posttest score. Appendixes to the first study include copies of the survey questionnaires and tabulations of survey results. Five references are cited. (BC)

This publication includes two reports describing the development and beginning evaluations of two separate programs of the Baltimore (Maryland) School and Family Connections Project designed to increase parents' involvement in their children's learning in urban elementary schools. The first report, "Reactions of Parents and Teachers to Reading Activity Packets in the Primary Grades" (S. C. Herrick and J. L. Epstein), examines the reactions of 158 parents and 7 teachers to the Teachers Getting Involved with Families program at Elmer A. Henderson Elementary School (Maryland), which developed reading activity packets to help parents assist their children in reading at home. The second report, "Reactions of Parents to School Newsletters in the Elementary Grades" (S. C. Herrick and J. L. Epstein), examines the reactions of parents (70 families) to the I Care Parent Newsletter program at Dr. Bernard Harris, Sr. Elementary School (Maryland), which created and distributed newsletters to parents to make them feel welcome at school, inform them about the curriculum and their children's progress, and stimulate parents and children to read together. Both programs were viewed as successful in reaching parents and involving them more actively in their children's learning. Both programs are being revised and extended and will be evaluated in the future for their effects on student learning. Statistical data are provided in two tables. Two appendices to the first report contain the teacher interview form, the parents' survey, and responses. Four appendices to the second report contain the survey and parent responses. (SLD)

This publication contains two reports describing the development and beginning evaluations of two separate programs of the Baltimore (Maryland) School and Family Connections Project designed to increase parents' involvement in their children's learning in urban middle grades schools. The first report, "Reactions of Parents, Students, and Teachers to Middle School Orientation Days" (S. C. Herrick and J. L. Epstein), examines the reactions of 101 parents, 321 students, and 20 teachers to the Orientation Days program at Hampstead Hill Middle School (Maryland), which was designed to improve the school's communication with parents of new sixth-graders. The second report, "Reactions of Parents to School Newsletters in the Middle Grades" (J. L. Epstein and S. C. Herrick), examines the reactions of parents (n=70 families) to the Parents and Teachers Newsletter at Booker T. Washington Middle School (Maryland), which was initiated to make parents feel welcome at the school and provide them with information about school programs and workshops held at the school. Both programs were successful as initial efforts in reaching and involving families of middle grades students, but they have considerable room for improvement. The programs are being revised and extended in response to their evaluations. Statistical data are provided in three tables. Three appendices to the first report present results from parents, teachers, and students. Two appendices to the second report contain the survey and parent responses. (Author/SLD)

Data from a national survey of principals in public schools with a 7th grade were used in this study of schools that serve disadvantaged, advantaged, and other populations. Differences in the schools' course-taking opportunities, organizational structures, extracurricular programs, remedial activities, instructional approaches, staffing needs, and use of responsive practices were studied. Effects of middle grades practices on course-taking opportunities were also examined in an effort to gain insight into the ways in which learning opportunities can be expanded through school restructuring. Findings indicate that schools that serve disadvantaged young adolescents are as likely as other schools to offer students substantial instruction in basic academic subjects, but are less likely to offer extensive remedial programs, advanced courses, or instructional methods that promote active or higher-order learning. Schools for the disadvantaged are less likely than other schools to offer a rich array of exploratory courses, "minicourses," or extracurricular activities for students, but are equally likely to use responsive practices in the middle grades. Schools with a high proportion of minority students are less likely to offer instruction for active learning, higher-order thinking, or enriched electives. (Author/RH)

A literature review was conducted in an effort to locate programs that could improve opportunities for learning for middle graders, and particularly educationally disadvantaged middle graders. Of the more than 200 programs that were reviewed, about 80 were identified as having promising components for middle grades educators. Section I discusses issues underlying the identification of such programs and common components of promising programs. Topics include high content, definition of disadvantaged students, prevention and treatment, and common components of recognition programs, including Chapter 1 and National Diffusion Network programs. Section II provides examples of promising programs and their components in the areas of mathematics, reading, writing and language arts, thinking skills, science, social studies, and combined components. Also discussed are issues raised by conflicting components. Section III considers recurring themes and conclusions. The report is expected to be especially useful to educators who are involved in program and staff development and evaluation or are making decisions about goals for students, gathering information on promising programs, or reviewing materials, costs, and evidence about effects. A total of 49 references are cited, and a directory of 77 programs is appended. (RH)

This document analyzes data obtained from "Education in the Middle Grades," a national survey of practices and trends using a representative sample of principals in public schools that contain grade 7, to examine the use and effects of practices that many educators believe are especially responsive to the needs of early adolescents. Practices examined include: (1) group advisory periods; (2) interdisciplinary teacher teams; (3) remedial instruction programs; (4) "school transition" activities; and (5) the formal recognition on report cards of student progress or effort regardless of performance level. The results indicate that most responsive practices yield measurable but modest benefits, but they also suggest that to realize the benefits, a school must make sure that the practices are implemented properly. A discussion of problems that might be encountered and of approaches that might be used by schools that contemplate adopting a responsive practices structure for the middle grades concludes the document. Variables used in the regression analysis and seven tables are appended. (19 references) (CLA)

In spring 1988, the Johns Hopkins Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools (CREMS) conducted a national survey of principals in 2,400 public middle grade schools that include grade 7. Using the 1988 survey date, this document presents an overview of educational approaches and practices in schools that serve early adolescents. Topics examined include: (1) grade span; (2) size; (3) grouping; (4) number of teachers per students; (5) changing classmates; (6) homeroom and advisory periods; (7) guidance counselors; (8) teams of teachers; (9) curriculum; (10) instruction; (11) goals for students; (12) transitions and articulation practices; (13) remediation; (14) report card entries; (15) teacher certification; and (16) teacher talents. This document also summarizes principals' reports of their overall evaluation of present practices and presents four conclusions regarding middle grades reform based on survey data. The survey is appended. (50 references) (CLA)