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The purpose of this chapter is to present a summary of the literature related to homework. First, information on the search procedures is provided, including the criteria for inclusion in this review. Second, a historical overview of homework in the United States is provided, including definitions and major changes in public opinion over time. The third section addresses the difficulties experienced by students with emotional disabilities in regard to homework. The fourth section reviews the homework policies presently in place at local school districts across the U.S. The fifth section discusses the effects of homework when basic classroom strategies, cooperative homework teams, self-management and goal setting, and assignment completion strategies are used. The sixth section describes the homework practices used, as reported by teachers and students. The seventh section describes the problems experienced by students with disabilities, from the perspective of teachers, parents, and students. A final section describes the kinds of problems associated with home-school communication.

Online education with Internet technology has been used extensively in post‐secondary education, but it is relatively new in schools. It has considerable potential for enhancing teaching/learning in both traditional schools and home‐schooling. Describes research conducted in Alberta where online education in schools is more common than in any other Canadian province. Semi‐structured interviews were held with 13 teachers from four online schools. Although they reported increased workloads and stress associated with added responsibilities for authoring online courses, providing technological support, and enhancing their technological skills, the teachers perceived many benefits of online education. However, improvements in the scope and reliability of technology and better access to digital educational content are required to realize the full potential of online education in schools. The information presented has relevance to school systems in many countries. It also relates to the rapidly evolving role of technology in education for all ages.

The purpose of this exploratory study is to explore parent and school administrator perspectives on the value and nature of parent involvement in the city of Abu Dhabi through their perceptions of roles and responsibilities.

The study is conducted in a random purposive sample of Public–Private Partnership schools during Abu Dhabi Education Council’s school reform.

Findings show that while both administrators and parents agree on the value of parental involvement, the perceptions of their own and each others’ roles and responsibilities means that parent involvement is characterized by unfulfilled expectations.

Recommendations are made to arrive at realistic roles and responsibilities for parent involvement and recommendations for a model of mutually responsive practice to evolve within a policy framework, with the support of ADEC, and informed by international and locally based research.

The paper sheds light on a new educational dimension beyond curricula and instruction.

This chapter provides an overview of special education in Canada, with specific reference to historical and modern trends and practices. Information regarding demographic trends, legislation and policy, contentious issues, Provincial differences, school and classroom practices, teacher education and professional development, and family involvement are outlined. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the ongoing challenges faced by education jurisdictions in Canada with respect to special education.

Worldwide, schools implement social-emotional learning programs to enhance students' social-emotional skills. Although parents play an essential role in teaching these skills, knowledge about their perspectives on social-emotional learning is limited. In providing insight into the perspectives of parents from adolescent students this paper adds to this knowledge.

An explorative qualitative study was conducted to gain insight into parents' perspectives (N = 32) on adolescent social-emotional learning. A broadly used professional framework for social emotional learning was used as a frame of reference in interviews with parents from diverse backgrounds. Within and across case analyses were applied to analyze the interviews.

A conceptual model of four social-emotional skills constructs considered crucial learning by parents emerged from the data: respectful behavior, cooperation, self-knowledge and self-reliance. Parents' language, interpretations and orderings of skills indicate that the model underlying these constructs differs from skills embedded in the professional framework.

Participants were small in number and mainly female. Therefore, more research is necessary to test the model in other parent populations.

The social-emotional skills students in prevocational secondary education learn at home differ from those targeted in SEL programs. Engaging students’ parents in SEL program implementation is indicated to align the skills taught at home and school. Preparing teachers to implement such programs requires training them on engaging parents from diverse backgrounds.

The study is one of the first providing insight into parents’ perspectives on SEL, the social-emotional skills deemed crucial to master for adolescents, and the roles they view for themselves and school on teaching these skills.

The role of parental involvement in their child’s education and academic success has been widely acknowledged in recent educational theories, policies, and practices. Parental beliefs and expectations concerning their child’s learning and success have been shown to be reflected in the parents’ involvement in their child’s education and their practices with their offspring, thereby shaping the child’s motivational development in school. In addition, parental trust in their child’s teacher is a key factor in enhancing the home–school partnership and in supporting a child’s academic motivation and successful schooling. However, political, economical, and technological changes in society and uncertainty about the future may present several challenges for raising children in the twenty-first century. The aim of this chapter is to present recent theories and empirical research focusing on the role of parental beliefs, expectations, and trust in their child’s teacher in supporting children’s interest in learning, self-concept of ability, and achievement behaviors in the challenging and unpredictable future. We will also reflect on how the changing world and uncertainty in society may influence parental beliefs and expectations in their child’s success.

Considering student achievement in a nation-wide examination as an indicator of school effectiveness, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the common characteristics across nine highly performing schools.

The study was designed as a multiple-case study. Semi-structured interviews with teachers and administrators were conducted when collecting the data. Content analysis was implemented in analyzing the interview transcripts.

The findings of the study basically suggest building a vision of achievement and sharing this vision with different constituencies, structuring positive instructional environment and implementing positive classroom managerial practices, educational leadership identifying the needs of school environment and responding to these needs, investing in positive school climate, monitoring pupils’ progress, ensuring the contribution of parents in schooling practices, and structuring a safe physical environment and providing necessary materials are instrumental activities for positive student outcomes.

Although it is not uncommon in the literature, the study relies on students’ scores in a nation-wide examination as an indicator of school effectiveness. However, this was inevitable because of the fact that Turkish education system does not suggest behavioral or organizational effectiveness indicators. Hence, further research in Turkish context may identify multiple indicators and focus on school wide as well as environmental dynamics of effectiveness.

The current study produced similar themes characterizing effective schools with the rest of the literature. However, the Turkish context exhibits a different understanding in relation to what causes effectiveness. The uniqueness of the Turkish context is largely related to the cultural context which has largely been shaped by conservatist philosophical orientations and centralized structure.

Social skills deficits characterize a large proportion of students with or at risk for social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities. Social skills are viewed as academic enablers in that they are attitudes and skills that enable students to benefit from academic instruction. Alternatively, problem behaviors are viewed as academic disablers because they compete with the acquisition and performance of academic and social skills. Students lacking social skills and exhibiting competing problem behaviors are in need of systematic social skills interventions to remediate their social skills deficits. This chapter describes what is currently known about the efficacy of social skills interventions using data from both narrative reviews and meta-analyses of the social skills training literature. Based on these reviews, social skills interventions are effective with approximately 65% of students receiving these interventions. Randomized studies produce higher effect sizes, with 82% of students showing improvement compared to only 58% of students in nonrandomized studies. An example of a social skills instructional model using the Social Skills Improvement System-Intervention Guide concludes the chapter.