The Relationship between Student Outcomes and Parental Involvement in Multidisciplinary IEP Team Meetings

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that each special education student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed at least once every year. In addition to school staff, regulations require that parents be invited to the IEP meetings. This study retrospectively reviewed the records of 270 students with educational disabilities in grades six through twelve. Demographic and descriptive data were gathered for each student and were separated according to whether the parent did or did not attend the IEP meeting. End-of-year information was examined regarding final report card grades, absenteeism, and cumulative days of detentions and suspensions. Of these variables, significant differences were found between the students whose parents participated in their IEP meetings and those students whose parents did not participate. The children of attending parents had higher grades in English/language arts, in mathematics, and in their overall grade point averages. These students also had significantly fewer absences. No differences were found regarding the frequency of detentions and suspensions between the two groups. Among demographic characteristics, ethnicity and socioeconomic status were associated with rates of parental participation. Some relationships may exist between parental participation and the category of their children\u27s special education eligibility, but these results were inconclusive. Student gender and grade level were not predictive of parental attendance at IEP meetings

Examining Parental Involvement in Impoverished Schools

A decline in parent participation in one impoverished Pre-K through Grade 5 school in Texas over recent years has been an ongoing concern for school administrators. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to investigate parent perceptions of the school\u27s efforts to involve parents in the school. Research questions focused on identifying factors that inhibited parental involvement concentrating on parent perceptions of school efforts. Constructivist theory and the advocacy/liberatory framework formed the conceptual framework for this study. A triangulation method for data collection included parent interviews, teacher questionnaires, and observations of parental involvement activities over 12 weeks. Participants were a typical sampling of 9 teachers and 9 parents. Observations were logged and coded. Teacher questionnaires were thematically coded and used to create probing questions for parent interviews. Interview transcripts were coded, and member checks validated findings. Results indicated that school practices for parent involvement were unclear to parents, inconsistently implemented, and poorly communicated. Parents reported that consistent communication and encouragement could help break down barriers to participation. As a result of these findings, a parental involvement project was formulated including research based goals, a plan for implementation, and a program evaluation. These findings and proposed project could lead to positive social change by assisting local staff to design a parental involvement program that gives parents a voice in school practices and by providing a model for other schools struggling to involve parents

California School Nurse Survey

The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence to support the assumption that school nurses have a positive effect on school attendance and medication administration practices and to hear the voice of the California school nurse. Data from this exploratory, descriptive study came from an online researcher developed survey consisting of both forced choice and open-ended questions completed by California school nurses representing the three major regions of California (Northern, Central, and Southern). The following three research questions guided the study: 1) What is the relationship between school and nurse factors on student outcomes? 2) How valued do California school nurses feel? 3) What makes the California school nurse feel valued? Descriptive statistics and correlations between school nurse and nurse factors and student outcomes were computed for comparability analysis at baseline. Research question three was analyzed qualitatively for themes using a horizontal approach. A total of 382 surveys were utilized for data analysis and these were separated based on region of California. The majority of nurses reported having a method to track attendance and receive referrals for students with frequent absences. The majority also reported that attendance improved after their intervention. The majority of nurses reported that they have guidelines for medication administration; the most common people to administer medications were the health aide or secretary; and no medication errors occurred in the previous month. Of the errors that had occurred, the most common error was a missed dose. Correlations between years of experience as a school nurse, number of students and school sites that the nurse is responsible for and number of medication errors and number of children sent home were non-significant. The majority of school nurses felt extremely valued or valued in their current positions. Nine themes from open ended questions were developed to learn specifically what makes school nurses feel valued. Limitations of this study included the self-report nature of the survey, the large amount of data missing for key questions, and the convenience sample. Discussion for areas of future research is included

EXPLORINGTHE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PARENT INVOLVEMENT PRIORITIRES, POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND PRACTICES

Research connects parent involvement in education and student development, including achievement. However, less is known about how school staff determines programmatic priorities and practices about parent involvement. This study used a case study design to explore the development of parent involvement policy priorities, programs, and practices at an elementary school with a disproportionate amount of low-income students. The primary data sources are interviews conducted during the 2011-2012 school year; other data include an observation of an involvement activity and reviews of relevant documents. The data indicate that school staff implemented parent involvement structures dictated by the school district's central office, and staff supplemented those formal policies with their own unstructured activities. However, insufficient resources were dedicated to monitoring and analyzing parent involvement practices. This study describes the ways that school tradition, staff nostalgia, expectations about parent initiative, and staff's perceived lack of agency might contribute to weak parent involvement outcomes. It also questions some of the assumptions about the purpose of parent involvement policies, especially in a high-stakes accountability environment

Master\u27s Thesis and Field Study Abstracts, July 1996-June 1998

This publication, the fourteenth in a series which began in 1957, contains the abstracts of Master\u27s Theses and Field Studies completed by graduate students of St. Cloud State University. The bulletin contains those theses and field studies completed during the period from July of 1996 through June of 1998. A bound copy of each thesis or field study is on file in the Learning Resources Center, which houses the library on this campus. The library copy of each thesis and field study is available for use on an interlibrary loan basis. Copies of this bulletin may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies, 121 Administrative Services, St. Cloud State University, 720 S. Fourth Avenue, St. Cloud, Minnesota, 56301-4498

Student Transition into Kindergarten: A Case Study of the Reggio Emilia Approach

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to arrive at a better understanding of what teachers contribute to the unique issues of student transition from a Reggio Emilia approach preschool into kindergarten. Transition was defined as “. . . reciprocal organization activities and cooperation (vertical connection), one of the aims of which was to connect with families (horizontal connection)” (Ahtola et al., 2016, p. 169). The central question of the research is; what do Reggio Emilia approach schoolteachers contribute to transition? Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivist theory involved the “actual relations between individuals” (p. 57), and social constructivist theory, along with the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and the more knowledgeable other (MKO) guided this study. The concepts with Vygotsky’s theory empower students in the course of transition into kindergarten. This study explored the behavior of 15 participating preschool teachers at a Reggio Emilia approach school in the Midwest. Data collection in the field was individual interviews, observations, and journal entries, and analysis was primarily through direct interpretation and secondarily with the individual instance. Fifteen Midwestern Reggio Emilia approach teachers were interviewed and observed culminating in analysis and conclusions from the research that identified teachers’ behaviors that contributed to successful transition into kindergarten. The study data was coded and categorized that resulted in establishing themes of the Reggio Emilia phenomenon. Study findings were reviewed and results revealed in association with the literature and relevant theories and implications

The Impact of Teacher Termination on the Level of Stress of Elementary Principals

Considering the key position principals hold and the impact that this has on all aspects of school life, it was reasonable to argue that better understanding of the problems and stresses they face would shed more light on the complex nature and dynamics of stress. Walter Gmelch maintained that sources of stress for the school principal were divided into four broad categories: role-based, taskbased, boundary-spanning, and conflict-mediating. Public and political pressure to improve student performance coupled with the arduous task of removing tenured incompetent teachers poses pressing problems for school principals. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the relationship between teacher termination and its effect on the levels of stress of principals. If there was increased stress associated with teacher termination, was the stress more significant than other stressors associated with the principalship? This qualitative study was conducted in one of the largest school districts in the state and in the nation. The Administrative Stress Index questionnaire was administered to selected principals and follow-up interviews were conducted, tape recorded, and transcribed. Principals in this study clearly indicated that a central difficulty for them, as administrators, was the excessive amount of time needed to assist and support teachers who were less than effective. The interviews also indicated that the experienced principals were more critical of the events that occurred out of their locus of control and therefore increased the level of boundary-spanning stress. The less experienced principals continued to struggle with the issue of career termination and its\u27 impact on the person and on task-based stress. It was recommended that school districts recognize the stress associated with termination by providing comprehensive training programs for principals in stress maintenance. Colleges and universities who prepare educators should introduce a distance-learning program in stress management for school administrators. Further study was recommended on this topic as it related to middle-school and high-school principals

A Parent Handbook for Family Childcare Programs

A Parent Handbook for Family Childcare Programs Most parents who need childcare seek a high quality childcare program. Parents want the best for their children. It is difficult to find a childcare program that meets the high standards that parents and children deserve. When a family is enrolled in a high quality program, it is important that the childcare provider share all aspects of his or her childcare program. Therefore, communication is necessary. The researcher developed a parent handbook to be used for family childcare programs. This handbook contains information that describes the program and highlights the aspects of the program that make it a high quality program. It also includes rules and regulations that are necessary for a provider to facilitate a proficient program. This handbook includes a thorough listing of rules, regulations, and important information that parents need to have in order to understand how the facility promotes a high quality childcare program