A CASE STUDY of ADMINISTRATOR, TEACHER, AND PARENT PERCEPTIONS AND USAGE OF INFINITE CAMPUS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL

Research has shown that parent involvement has been associated with positive academic outcomes, including but not limited to, increased academic performance, lower rates of retention/failure, increased self-regulatory behavior, higher social functioning, and reduced special education placements (Anderson & Minke, 2007; Scharton, 2019). The use of on-line data management systems has proliferated over the course of the past decade. Throughout the 1990s, computer technology rapidly expanded in United States public schools. Between 1996-1997, U.S. school districts had added 500,000 computers for administrative use (Darby & Hughes, 2005). The passage of No Child Left behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top bolstered the use of technology in U.S. schools. With an increased emphasis placed on school to home connection, technology-based Student Information Systems grew increasingly common (Hughes, 2005; Epstein, 2004). Student information systems provide teachers, parents, and students the ability to monitor relevant student data, include a portal for parents to access information about their students, offer reporting capabilities, manage student admissions, and provide modules for school staff. Additionally, they serve as a communication tool that connect school activity with interested parties (parents, teachers, and administrators). Commonly known examples of SIS include, but are not limited to; PowerSchool SIS, Skyward, Gradelink, Infinite Campus, and a host of others. Commonalities often include the posting of academic and attendance data to parents, and students (“Best K-12”, 2020). School to home communication has been determined to play an influential role in student achievement (Anderson & Minke, 2007; Epstein, 2010; Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Scharton, 2019), however, few research studies exist examining the landscape of the Infinite Campus Parent Portal as a communication vehicle, along with the parent, teacher, and administrator perceptions of this informational systems. The purpose of this study is to understand the use of Infinite Campus and to determine the extent to which information posted therein inspires intervention (e.g., contact with school officials, academic support at home, etc.) Results from this study will provide schools/districts with a greater understanding of parent/guardian Infinite Campus usage patterns and present the District with an opportunity to further enhance their communication capacities

Increasing boys' and girls' intention to avoid teenage pregnancy: a cluster randomised control feasibility trial of an interactive video drama based intervention in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland

Background: Adolescent men have a vital yet neglected role in reducing unintended teenage pregnancy (UTP). There is a need for gender-sensitive educational interventions. Objectives: To determine the value and feasibility of conducting an effectiveness trial of the If I Were Jack Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) intervention in a convenience quota sample of post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. Secondary objectives were to assess acceptability to schools, pupils (male/female, aged 14–15 years) and parents/guardians; to identify optimal delivery structures and systems; to establish participation rates and reach, including equality of engagement of different socioeconomic and religious types; to assess trial recruitment and retention rates; to assess variation in normal RSE practice; to refine survey instruments; to assess differences in outcomes for male and female pupils; to identify potential effect sizes that might be detected in an effectiveness trial and estimate appropriate sample size for that trial; and to identify costs of delivery and pilot methods for assessing cost-effectiveness. Design: Cluster randomised Phase II feasibility trial with an embedded process and economic evaluation. Intervention: A teacher-delivered classroom-based RSE resource – an interactive video drama (IVD) with classroom materials, teacher training and an information session for parents – to immerse young people in a hypothetical scenario of Jack, a teenager whose girlfriend is unintentionally pregnant. It addresses gender inequalities in RSE by focusing on young men and is designed to increase intentions to avoid UTP by encouraging young people to delay sexual intercourse and to use contraception consistently in sexual relationships. Main outcome measures: Abstinence from sexual intercourse (delaying initiation of sex or returning to abstinence) or avoidance of unprotected sexual intercourse (consistent correct use of contraception). Secondary outcomes included Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills and Intentions. Results: The intervention proved acceptable to schools, pupils and parents, as evidenced through positive process evaluation. One minor refinement to the parental component was required, namely the replacement of the teacher-led face-to-face information session for parents by online videos designed to deliver the intervention to parents/guardians into their home. School recruitment was successful (target 25%, achieved 38%). No school dropped out. Pupil retention was successful (target 85%, achieved 93%). The between-group difference in incidence of unprotected sex of 1.3% (95% confidence interval 0.55% to 2.2%) by 9 months demonstrated an effect size consistent with those reported to have had meaningful impact on UTP rates (resulting in an achievable sample size of 66 schools at Phase III). Survey instruments showed high acceptability and reliability of measures (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.5–0.7). Economic evaluation at Phase III is feasible because it was possible to (1) identify costs of delivering If I Were Jack (mean cost per pupil, including training of teachers, was calculated as £13.66); and (2) develop a framework for assessing cost-effectiveness. Conclusion: Trial methods were appropriate, and recruitment and retention of schools and pupils was satisfactory, successfully demonstrating all criteria for progression to a main trial. The perceived value of culture- and gender-sensitive public health interventions has been highlighted. Future work: Progression to a Phase III effectiveness trial. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN99459996. Funding: This project was funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 5, No. 1. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Leveraging Technology toward Family Supports for and Development of Middle Schoolers

This Practitioner Perspective discusses how sharing a learning space with their parents, college students, and other adult members in a community-based technology program influenced middle school students’ familial support, their own technology knowledge and social capital, sense of membership in a learning community, and identity development. The program’s structure used technology as a starting point to develop skills, but also to aid Latino immigrant families to navigate their children’s schooling experiences

Student Learning Plans: Supporting Every Student's Transition to College and Career

Student learning plans (SLPs) represent an emerging practice in how public schools across the country are supporting the development of students' college and career readiness skills. Learning plans are student-driven planning and monitoring tools that provide opportunities to identify postsecondary goals, explore college and career options and develop the skills necessary to be autonomous, self-regulated learners. Currently, 23 states plus the District of Columbia require that students develop learning plans, and Massachusetts state policymakers are considering whether all middle and high school students should be required to develop learning plans. Legislation is currently pending that calls for the Executive Office of Education to convene an advisory group to investigate and study a development and implementation process for six-year career planning to be coordinated by licensed school guidance counselors for all students in grades 6 to 12.The purpose of the policy brief Student Learning Plans: Supporting Every Student's Transition to College and Career is to provide policymakers in Massachusetts with a better understanding of what student learning plans are as well as how and to what extent their use is mandated in other states. The brief is organized into five major sections: an overview of SLPs and the rationale for their use in public K-12 education; an overview of the research on the effectiveness of SLPs on improving a variety of student outcomes, including engagement, responsibility, motivation, long-term postsecondary college and career planning; current state trends in mandating SLPs for all students, including the structure and implementation of SLPs, their connection to other high school reform initiatives and their alignment with state and federal career awareness and workforce development initiatives; promising implementation strategies; and, considerations for state policymakers.Considerations for Massachusetts policymakers include: learn from states that are pioneers in the implementation of SLPs for all students; develop a comprehensive implementation plan; and, strengthen career counseling and career awareness activities in Massachusetts schools.The policy brief was the subject of discussion during a public webinar on June 30, 2011

Families of Struggling Readers in the Accountability Era: A Collective Ethnographic Case Study of Literacy Engagement and Interaction in the Home and School

This collective case study uses ethnographic methods to explore the literacy engagement and school interactions of two families of struggling adolescent readers within the accountability era following the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a time period where there have been as yet few studies (e.g. Compton-Lilly, 2009) focused on family literacy. Formal and informal interviews with students and their guardians as well as observations and document analysis were the main data sources. Results illuminated the influence of school policies and curricula on students’ families’ interactions and identities (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). The researcher found that families lacking cultural capital (Bordieu, 1977) were not adequately informed about high stakes assessments or involved in decision-making, which significantly impacted the lives of their children. Consequently, students were tracked into letter groups that reflected the grading scale and influenced students’ scholastic identities, used reading programs that did not develop intrinsic motivation, and barred access to necessary reading interventions solely on the basis of group placement

Electronic Booklet: Vision of Teachers and Guardians of Basic School Students of Galicia

A investigação aqui descrita explora a primeira fase de um projecto de investigação, cujo objetivo é introduzir uma nova forma de colaboração e comunicação entre a Escola Família, através de uma Caderneta Eletrónica (CE), em Espanha, nas escolas da Galiza. A CE surge para dar resposta às crescentes necessidades de colaboração entre a Escola e a Família, promovendo o processo ensino-aprendizagem e o sucesso educativo, tendo como suporte as Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TIC). Através de um questionário procurámos obter a perceção dos Professores e Encarregados de Educação (EE) relativamente à adoção de uma CE. Ambos os grupos salientaram a importância da comunicação entre a Escola e a Família e manifestaram interesse na CE, enquanto instrumento de comunicação bidirecional

Caderneta electrónica: visão de professores e encarregados de Educação de Alunos do Ensino Básico da Galiza

This research here described explores the first phase of a research project whose aim is to introduce a new form of collaboration and communication among the Family and School through an Electronic Booklet (EB), in Spain, in the Galician schools. The EB appears to meet the growing needs of collaboration between the school and the family, promoting the teaching learning process and educational success, supported by the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Through a questionnaire we sought to obtain the perceptions of teachers and parents regarding the adoption of an EB. Both groups stressed the importance of communication between the school and the family and expressed interest in EB, as bidirectional communication tool

A Multi-Case Study of Electronic Communication Policy in Rural East Texas School Districts

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to conduct a policy analysis regarding electronic communication between educators and students in three rural East Texas school districts. The policy analysis for each district began with the initial implementation of teacher communication via electronic sources provided by the districts. The focus of the study was limited specifically to the policy regulating nonschool related, electronic communication by educators with students. The challenge faced by school districts to embrace technology with one-to-one classrooms, virtual classrooms, constant connectivity, school texting applications, and open availability to teachers via email, complicates restrictions placed on non-school related communication. The need to protect educators and students with regard to such communication has caused school boards to review their current electronic communication policy thus narrowing the broad guidelines previously in place. The findings include educator perceptions and suggestions

Examining the Long-Term Suspension Process for Students Classified with an Emotional Disturbance

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of students classified with an emotional disturbance who were long-term suspended from school, their parent/guardians, and school administrators. Using a semi-structured interview design, this study provided participants in an urban school district in upstate New York, with an opportunity to share their firsthand perspectives on the long-term suspension process and its effects on student identities, school experiences, and future ambitions. Research questions were aligned with Bandura’s self-efficacy theoretical framework. The first research question examined the experiences of students with an emotional disturbance during the long-term suspension process. The second research question explored what, if any, were the perceived effects of the long-term suspension process on students with an emotional disturbance during and after serving their long-term suspension. As a result data collected from the participants, three themes emerged from the first research question: (a) asymmetrical educational experience; (b) communication failure; and (c) self-destructive relationships. In addition, four themes surfaced from the second research question: (a) perceptions of being misunderstood and worthless; (b) set up for failure; (c) public school pipeline to incarceration; and (d) preventable wildfire. The findings from this study suggest that the current long-term suspension process exacerbates the academic failure of the students, and leaves students with a diminished sense of well-being. Participant data revealed that there is consensus that the long-term suspension system, as currently operated, is broken and in need of comprehensive repair

What Educators Can Do To Engage Families In School-Based Education

This qualitative study, utilizing phenomenology, focuses on the role of educators in creating a strong home-school connection. The increasing number of students living in poverty requires educators to implement effective strategies for engaging parents and guardians in their students’ schooling. Three significant themes emerged from the study as a result of data analysis. These identified themes are Educators and parents see the importance of building positive relationships, increased connections are wanted by all and technology has helped to increase modes of communication, and events that highlight student achievement increase parent involvement. The data allowed for several conclusions to be drawn regarding family engagement, including the following: the need for educators to increase the amount of communication to parents regarding their specific student(s), the need for school staff to increase the number of opportunities for families to come into the school to participate, and the need for educators to better equip parents with content specific information to allow them to better assist their children at home