The article emphasizes and illustrates the importance of precise, coherent, and continuous home-school communication to facilitate parental involvement useful in promoting the educational success of children in urban schools. Two sets of parents and teachers were interviewed to obtain their perspectives on how their children were performing in…

Intended for practitioners from preschool to college whose major interest is literacy development, this book presents 20 essays that discuss multiple perspectives of the varied definitions of family literacy and provide ideas for schools, community agencies, and families by presenting different types of programs to put into practice. Essays in the…

In this address, Richard W. Riley contends that parents' most important activity is to raise their children. Parents, educators and policymakers can work together to create a healthy and nurturing environment for all children in America. Young children absorb and later imitate adult activities they see, and they observe their parents more than…

Findings of a study that determined the influence of parental involvement on eighth-grade students' achievement are presented in this paper, which examined the following specific components of parent involvement: aspirations, home structure, discipline, and school activity participation. Data on 21,835 students and their parents were derived from…

Describing the early reader as one who has learned to read informally at home before formal schooling has begun, this paper reviews the literature on two aspects of early reading. The first aspect considered is the home environment of the early reader and the interactions with his or her parents. The second aspect considered is the process by…

This report presents outcome data on five referrals for child-family intervention in which a new system for obtaining audio-recorded behavioral data was employed as one of several evaluation criteria. The referred child was asked to wear a radio transmitter during most of his waking hours at home during pre-intervention and termination…

Third in a series of four articles devoted to parents and reading. Focuses upon parental involvement in reading and examines research and activities that can be beneficial at home and at school. (HTH)

Describes a study indicating statistically significant differences between the two groups of intellectually superior four- and five-year-olds in the areas of story recall and print awareness, and that the accelerated readers of this age group tend to have mothers who have deliberately provided their children with reading instruction. (HTH)

Based on the idea that parents are the first and most important teachers of their children's literacy, this booklet offers 101 practical and fun-to-do activities that children and parents can do together. The activities in the booklet are organized to fit the way parents tend to think about their time with their children: in the nursery; at…

Because early literacy development occurs through social processes, parents need to be involved in the beginning stages of their children's reading. This thesis details the need for early literacy experiences and provides evidence that reading success begins at home. The thesis distinguishes illiteracy and aliteracy, defines literacy, discusses…

Examined whether first- to third-graders' language and mathematics achievement was affected by family context and type of school-related activities practiced by parents. Found that achievement was related to family size, number of adult caregivers, and parents' educational level. Students with parents engaging in learning activities at home were…

This study examined whether maternal resources of involvement and autonomy support might buffer children against the negative effects of the transition to junior high. School, cognitive, and personal involvement were examined. Findings highlight the importance of the home environment in children's coping with the transition to junior high.…

This article discusses how parents can use the Language Experience Approach and Scaffolded Writing in the home environment to teach their children literacy skills and to prevent school failure. The benefits of parent involvement in influencing the quality and quantity of a child's literacy experiences is stressed. (Contains references.) (CR)

Discusses the importance of nurturing creativity in early childhood education, focusing on family influences on creativity. Summarizes research on familial impact on creativity, including the role of the family's adaptability, parental discipline style, parental rejection, and family pressure toward creativity. Suggests ways early childhood…

Educators have known for years that children who come from homes where storybooks are read have an advantage over those children who are not read to. Research has shown that shared reading, reading aloud, making a variety of print materials available, and promoting positive attitudes toward literacy have a significant impact on children's literacy…