ARTICLES ANALYSIS

Articles Analysis

Articles Analysi

Ball et al., 1998 S.J. Balli, D.H. Demo and J.F. Wedman, Family engagement with children's assignment: An intervention in the middle degrees, Family Relations 47 (1998), pp. 142-146.

Introduction

A diverse sample of schools supplied longitudinal data on students' mathematics achievement test scores and estimates of the effectiveness of mathematics-focused family and community engagement practices. Although many questions remain for researchers to address with larger samples of schools, the exploratory analyses revealed basic facts about (a) levels of mathematics achievement in elementary and secondary schools; (b) educators' perceptions of the efficacy of using school, family, and community partnerships to increase student achievement in mathematics; and (c) new associations of mathematics-focused family and community engagement activities and changes in students' performance on mathematics achievement tests.

Method

Participants

Eighteen schools—from states including Ohio, Maryland, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Kansas, and California— returned baseline and follow-up surveys. About half of the schools in the study were elementary schools (n = 10), and the rest were middle or high schools (n = 8). The schools were located in inner-city (n = 7), urban (n = 4), suburban (n = 3), and rural (n = 4) areas and ranged in size from 124 to 1,280 students. About 75% of the schools reported that they received either school wide or targeted Title I funding, indicating that the schools served large numbers of economically disadvantaged students. On average, across schools, about 50.4% of students (ranging from 4.8% to 88%) received free or reduced-price lunches. Schools in the sample served an average 7.8% of students from families for whom English was a second language (ESL; ranging from 0% to 44%).

Result

Selected school characteristics were associated with levels of student mathematics achievement and patterns of change in the percentage of students who were proficient in mathematics from 1 year to the next. Large schools and high-poverty schools, most in urban areas, described smaller student mathematics achievement and poorer mathematics report card grades than did small and more affluent schools. Elementary schools described that more students were proficient in mathematics and showed more positive changes in achievement levels over time. Although restricted in size, our sample was similar to that of schools across the nation regarding mathematics achievement levels and other mathematics indicators.

Discussion

 Research on student transitions to middle schools has shown that declines in students' achievement motivation beliefs (e.g., self-competence and the value of school) accompany declines in achievement. Moreover, those changes have been associated with school characteristics and practices. The positive effects of engaging families in students' education may suggest that fostering these types of interactions can assist lessen the span to which adolescents' transitions into middle school coincide with their declines in motivation and achievement. Overall, school leaders for partnerships expressed high levels of self-assurance that family and community engagement activities can assist advance student learning and achievement in mathematics.

Conclusion

Prior research on family engagement in mathematics has shown that interactive mathematics assignment increased family involvement. However, that study, which was undertook in one school with one teacher, could not connection ...