Family-school partnerships have been shown to improve academic and social outcomes for children, yet there have been challenges in developing effective partnerships with diverse families. This phenomenological study examined perspectives of immigrant and local parents with regards to family-school partnerships in Hawai?i to provide insights…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the community-oriented school leadership practices of a school leader at an elementary school within a colonia in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Analysis of interviews and observations revealed how this school leader employed a broad range of practices, strategies, and approaches to develop deep…

Student belonging to school has been consistently correlated with many significant outcomes, yet there is little research that depicts how this sense is developed. This study explores the factors through which late elementary/middle school students (Grades 4-8) develop a sense of belonging to their school. Individual interviews with teachers and…

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to utilize teacher perceptions to identify best practices for school leaders who seek to transform their school into a "school as community". First, a large urban high school was purposefully selected based on data obtained from the Department of Education. After…

The author followed five primary (elementary) schools over three years as they responded to and began to recover from the 2010-2011 earthquakes in and around the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The purpose was to capture the stories for the schools themselves, their communities, and for New Zealand's historical…

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of parental and programmatic support among 20 urban youth. Existing literature indicates that educators often place blame on parents for their perceived lack of involvement in their children's schooling. However, the participants identified their family members (e.g., parents, siblings) as providing…

Family literacy studies have shown that the role of parental storybook reading has an impact on children's success in school-based literacy instruction. However, many children who are English language learners come from homes or cultures where storybook readings are not common practice. The purpose of this qualitative research study explored…

This study builds on existing research on school-community partnerships in middle and secondary schools by examining the roles of the students and the impact of social influences on their school-community liaising practices. Documents, observations, and 20 interviews with students, school leaders, teachers, and support staff from one urban,…

Teachers and administrators in schools with large, working-class Latino populations often complain of parents' indifference or lack of involvement in children's schooling because of their low visibility at school events and relatively little face-to-face communication with teachers and school administration. In a series of semi-structured…

The immigrant population is increasing steadily every year in Canada and in Quebec, in particular. The immigrant population is made up largely of families, most of whom have school-age children. However, we have little information on the practices these parents adopt when they become involved in their children's schooling. In this study, 28…