Policymakers need to decide how to invest in strengthening the most basic foundation for early childhood development: family relationships. The challenges: (1) help parents provide the responsive and stimulating environments that will prepare young children for school; and (2) support fathers' engagement with their children regardless of whether…

Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play--both financially and emotionally--in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the US, two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work…

Parent involvement is widely acknowledged as a central component in both overall school success and the academic success of individual children. Recognizing this, the federal No Child Left Behind Act mandates that states, districts and schools make extraordinary efforts to enhance effective parent involvement. Now, more than six years after the…

Describes the IMCIPE Project (Incarcerated Mothers and Children: Impact of Prison Environments) which investigates the experiences of incarcerated mothers whose children live with them in Mother and Baby Units and incarcerated mothers who are separated from their children; the impact of the prison environment on mother-child relationships; and…

This document provides witnesses' testimony and prepared statements from two sessions of the Congressional hearing called to examine allegations of sexual abuse of children by parents or stepparents, and the problems associated with children's court testimony in criminal sexual abuse cases. Testimony from the first session includes statements from…

Intended for parents, as well as school administrators, policymakers, and teachers, this digest discusses resources available for developing children's early literacy. The digest first discusses research indicating the role of parents in early reading experience, then discusses, in general terms, sources for literacy materials for parents,…

Reports on a study of the effects of maternal employment on academic achievement among white, male secondary students. Finds that upper middle-class and middle-class boys reported lower grades when their mothers were full-time workers. Also finds similar results with other groups and presents implications for further research. (CFR)

The resurgence of interest in parent involvement in education comes at a time when the traditional roles of both the school and the family are under great stress. The contemporary concept of parent involvement refers to parents initiating learning activities at home to improve their children's performance at school. Used most broadly, parent…

This paper discusses major issues having to do with definition of terms and implementation strategies implicit in the first national education goal, which states: "By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn." The principles articulated in the paper by a collaboration of agencies and the private sector are…