Examines school and family social capital, human capital, and financial capital as parallel concepts and investigates their effects on child social adjustment. Findings suggest that although school capital effects are present, social capital and maternal and child human capital effects are more prevalent. Discusses how investment at home and…

This study examined how demographic and psychological factors shape the involvement of Japanese mothers in their children's education. The five demographic variables studied were family income, maternal education, family size, mothers' employment status, and sex of the child. Three forms of parental cognition were also studied: mothers'…

"Family Involvement Makes a Difference" is a set of research briefs that examines one set of complementary learning linkages: family involvement in the home and school. As the first in the series, this brief focuses on the linkages among the family, early childhood education settings, and schools. Future papers will examine family involvement in…

This qualitative research study aims to provide rich narratives of parental involvement in households of newcomer Latino immigrants in the Midwest. A total of 20 families participated in this 4-month research study. Findings suggest that parents do get involved in traditional ways but view "consejos" (the giving of sage advice) as a form of…

This study aims to identify the family characteristics that promote the development of social skills in children with physical disabilities. Parents and teachers completed a range of questionnaires in an Australia-wide study of 212 parents of children (5-12 years of age) with physical disabilities who attend mainstream schools. The relationships…

This brochure presents ideas for creating a special place for a family's reading materials--a"family library"--and for helping children build their own personal collections. The brochure offers a sampling of activities that will help families display and keep track of a growing collection of newspapers, magazines, and books. The brochure…

These home learning activity guides have been developed for parents to use with their 4-year-old children. Most of the activities require only household items that are often thrown away and can be recycled for learning activities. Some require no materials at all. The guides frequently begin with a discussion of home activities; progress through…

The purpose of this investigation was to develop and test an experimental strategy for the modification of socialization practices, which were hypothesized to affect the development of intellectual skills in young children. Experimental and control groups for this experiment were randomly selected from the population of first grade students in a…

The goal of an elementary school is to educate all children. However, the growing number of students per school and the increased demands placed upon teachers make this more challenging every year. An involved parent is often the difference between a child who thrives in school, and one who merely goes to school. Yet, it is nearly impossible to…

Argues that programs teaching parents to assist children with homework practice the "deficit hypothesis" and are not based on sound research. Proposes a broader definition of family literacy that acknowledges the family's social situation, focuses on the family's strengths, and uses a social-contextual approach to curriculum development. (SK)

Suggests ways parents can prepare their children for becoming literate. (SR)

Sixty-five parent-child pairs were studied to portray the potential family processes that put children at risk for obesity and to illustrate the household environment, parenting beliefs, and child characteristics of obese and non-obese children. Results suggest that efforts to curb childhood obesity should address improving parent knowledge of…

Parents are one of the most important influences in positive child and youth development, yet too many caregivers, especially those in higher risk families, fail to receive supports that would improve parenting and family functioning. By strengthening parent/caregivers and their connections to resources, communities can improve child and youth…

The study purpose was to test the effect of a school- and home-based alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) prevention program on reducing environmental, parent, and child risk factors for ATOD use. The design was a three-group pretest-posttest with interviews at baseline and 1 and 6 months post-intervention. The sample was 126 parents and their…

Most parents of gifted children are aware of the benefit of having books and other hands-on learning materials available to their children. However, there is more involved in creating a thoughtful and intellectual learning environment at home than just books and science kits. The way a group communicates, what it communicates, and what it values…