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Parent engagement is often promoted as a remedy for reducing achievement gaps between students from high socio-economic and low socio-economic backgrounds. However, researchers have found mixed results when examining parent engagement and student outcomes. Drawing on a study investigating the effectiveness of summer literacy camps offered by schools in Ontario, I compare the influence of parent engagement on two outcomes: (1) spring snapshot of cumulative learning; and (2) summer literacy growth/loss. In considering summer learning in regression analysis, I aim to investigate the effect of parent engagement without the influence of schools during the academic year. Out of 14 parent engagement measures, I find only three (parents' aspirations, home resources, discussions of school with children) are positive predictors of spring literacy outcomes and that none predict summer literacy growth/loss. Family socio-economic status remains a powerful predictor of achievement for both outcomes. I interpret my findings within three proposed mechanisms of parent engagement: cultivation ethic, realist reaction, and expressive logic.

Can summer programs, as remedial supplements to regular schooling, extend learning opportunities and other benefits to disadvantaged students? To frame this question, we compare logics from "social reproduction" and "partial compensation" perspectives, and then apply them to a large mixed method study of four kinds of summer programs in Ontario. Drawing on quantitative data on over 10,000 students and qualitative data from interviews with over 200 teachers and parents, we examined patterns of student recruitment and participation, social valuations, and academic outcomes. We found that all summer programs successfully recruited disadvantaged students without stigmatizing them, and raised their average achievement without widening pre-existing gaps. We interpret these findings as being consistent with the "partial compensation" perspective, and discuss related policy implications that include COVID-19 learning recovery strategies.

Les programmes d'été, comme activités complémentaires de rattrapage, peuvent-ils offrir des possibilités d'apprentissage ou d'autres avantages aux élèves défavorisés ?Pour comprendre cette question, nous comparons les logiques des perspectives de <> et de <>, pour les appliquer à une vaste étude mixte portant sur quatre types de programmes d'été offerts en Ontario. À partir de données quantitatives provenant de plus de 10 000 élèves et de données qualitatives issues d'entretiens avec plus de 200 enseignants et parents, nous avons examiné les tendances de recrutement et de participation des élèves, de l'appréciation sociale des programmes et des résultats scolaires. Nous avons constaté que tous les programmes d'été recrutaient bien des élèves défavorisés sans les stigmatiser, et qu'ils étaient associés à des augmentations de leur rendement moyen sans creuser les écarts préexistants. Nous interprétons ces résultats comme soutenant la perspective de <> et discutons des implications politiques connexes. Mots clés : programmes d'été, apprentissage d'été, écarts de réussite, stratification scolaire Can summer programs, as remedial supplements to regular schooling, extend learning opportunities and other benefits to disadvantaged students? To frame this question, we compare logics from 'social reproduction' and 'partial compensation' perspectives, and then apply them to a large mixed method study of four kinds of summer programs in Ontario. Drawing on quantitative data on over 10,000 students and qualitative data from interviews with over 200 teachers and parents, we examined patterns of student recruitment and participation, social valuations, and academic outcomes. We found that all summer programs successfully recruited disadvantaged students without stigmatizing them, and raised their average achievement without widening pre-existing gaps. We interpret these findings as being consistent with the 'partial compensation' perspective, and discuss related policy implications that include COVID-19 learning recovery strategies. Keywords: summer programs, summer learning, achievement gaps, educational stratification, Introduction Student achievement gaps along socio-economic lines have persisted for most of a century (e.g., Bradbury et al., 2015; Caro et al., 2009; Coleman et al., 1966; Conwell, 2021). To [...]

Brain drain is an increasingly important concern for local governments in northern communities in Canada in maintaining and enhancing human capital levels to sustain vibrant economies and communities. Researchers, however, have yet to examine the magnitude of north-south out-migration nor do we know the characteristics of youth who are likely to relocate. Our study contributes to this knowledge gap by employing multiple waves from Statistics Canada's Youth in Transition Survey (Cohort A) linked to each youth's reading scores from the Programme for International Student Assessment (measured at age 15), and longitudinally to their tax filer information until age 30 (T1 Family Files). La fuite des cerveaux est une preoccupation de plus en plus importante pour les gouvemements locaux des collectivites du Nord du Canada dans le maintien et ['amelioration des niveaux de capital humain afin de soutenir des economies et des collectivites dynamiques. Toutefois, les chercheurs n'ont pas encore examine l'ampleur de l'emigration nord-sud et nous ne connaissons pas non plus les caracteristiques des jeunes susceptibles de demenager. Notre etude contribue k ce manque de connaissances en utilisant de multiples ondes de l'Enquete sur les jeunes en transition (cohorte A) de Statistique Canada liees aux resultats de lecture de chaque jeune du Programme international de lecture du suivi des eleves (mesures d l'age de 15 ans), et longitudinalement a leurs informations de declarant jusqu'd l'age 30 (T1 Family Files)., BRAIN DRAIN--THE LOSS of highly trained or educated individuals from a region--is a concern for northern communities in Canada. The loss of young people from northern to southern, urban centers [...]

The relationship between geography and early transfer behavior has received limited empirical attention. In this study, we track six cohorts of university and community college entrants to examine differences in the early pathways they travel through Ontario post‐secondary education (PSE), paying particular attention to how transfer pathway uptake by students in the province's rural north might vary from those in the more urbanized southern regions. Overall, we observe only modest regional differences in early transfer pathway uptake, with parental income proving to be a more constituent predictor of transfer. However, we do find more sizable net regional differences in the propensity that students will drop out within two years of entering PSE, with northern students being significantly more at risk of leaving PSE in their early years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining schools through the theoretical lens of the New Institutionalism, this study uses semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to explore (1) how religious diversity is addressed by teachers in the public school system, and (2) the accommodations that are made for students of diverse faiths. Policies on religious accommodation receive tight coupling with teaching practice due to the tangible nature of requests for religious accommodation and because students' or parents' direct requests require immediate attention. This study also finds a strong correlation with the decoupling argument regarding policies on inclusive education. The teachers interviewed interpret what "religious inclusion" means and how it corresponds with their own pre-existing ideas and teaching practice, as they make decisions based on their students' unique needs.

A new body of sociological research is finding that northern and rural youth, and in particular, low‐SES youth, face difficulties accessing higher levels of postsecondary education and lucrative fields of study such as the STEMs. However, existing research has yet to systematically measure the skills proficiencies of youth in these regions nor have we understood the factors which might account for regional differences. We draw on multiple cycles of Statistics Canada's Youth in Transition Survey, Cohort A linked to the Programme for International Student Assessment scores to investigate how location of residence impacts skills proficiencies at age 15 in math, science, and reading outcomes. Overall, our results point to three key findings. First, southern youth outperform northern youth in mathematics skills. Second, we uncover a southern (both urban and rural) and northern urban advantage in reading proficiencies. Third, in science literacy, southern and northern urban youth experience significant advantages over youth from northern rural locations. While some of the skills differences are attributable to parenting styles, parental socioeconomic status, student academics, and province of residence, they are not completely attenuated by these factors. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for future research and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Markella B. Rutherford, Adult Supervision Required: Private Freedom and Public Constraints for Parents and Children. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011, 208 pp, $25.00 paper, (978-0813551494). Adult Supervision Required makes [...]

Though summer learning loss has been widely documented across both the United States and Canada, there is little knowledge on how parents and teachers view the use of technology in the context of summer vacation, and what the role of digital tools are in potentially alleviating achievement gaps due to summer learning loss. Drawing on 71 parent and 37 teacher interviews from a large-scale Canadian study examining summer learning loss in Ontario through summer literacy and numeracy programs for students (grades 1–3), this study highlights the complexities associated with using digital tool in both home and school life in the summer. Through extensions of Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, we suggest that digital tools are becoming a new type of valued skillset that parents and educators are acknowledging. In specific, our main findings center around three interrelated themes: i) comfort with technology; ii) home-school connections; and iii) perception of children as digital natives. Results may be fruitful for parents, educators, and policymakers to understand the larger role that digital technology plays amongst Canadian families and teachers during the summer months and school year. Capturing these discussions can maximize both school and home use of digital tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth in many major cities is partly driven by migration from rural areas, which constrains these communities' development. Despite this concern, research that longitudinally examines the patterns and predictors of youth outmigration to urban areas, as well as return migration to rural areas, is very limited in Canada. To address this void, we longitudinally link Canada's Youth in Transition Survey, Cohort A, and the Programme for International Student Assessment reading scores, measured at age 15, to individuals' tax filer information through age 30 via the T1 Family File to examine the characteristics and extent of rural Canada's youth out- and return migration. Our analysis points to two important findings: (a) the 'leavers' are more educated with higher levels of employability and income than the 'stayers' and (b) the 'returners' tend to come back to rural areas as a result of economic constraints in urban areas. Based on these findings, we provide several recommendations for policymakers and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a photo-interview study of home reading practices with 35 children (ages 5–8) we examine how the ‘parent-effect’ influences research with young children. Not surprisingly, we find that parents influence reading practices and access to literacy resources. However, it is also clear that children’s reliance on parents affects data collection. Children who have more help from parents produce better photographs and a clearer narrative about home reading practices, but parents’ use of impression management influence the images that children produce and sometimes the photo-interview that follows. Rather than compromising children’s agency or the purity of the data, we argue that the parent-effect can be used an indicator of cultural norms about parenting; it can shed light into the dynamics of the parent-child relationships; and it can illuminate the degree to which children exert ‘child capital’ over home reading practices and the social construction of family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]