Intervention to raise the literacy achievement of disadvantaged groups in society has focused on preschool literacy development because it is predictive of later educational achievement and because research has shown that key strands of literacy emerge very early in childhood. Intervention programmes to promote emergent literacy are likely to be…

A case of home visiting in one school to increase the involvement of parents of five- to eight-year-olds in the teaching of reading is reported. Three kinds of visit are identified: preliminary, consultative, and special visits. The function of visiting is discussed; implications for practice are explored. (Author/CH)

Authors describe how their nursery unit has broken down many of the home/school barriers. (Editor/RK)

At a British university, a postgraduate workshop prepared preservice teachers to work with parents by interviewing parents at the cooperating school on their perceptions of education and parents' role in schooling. (SK)

This paper addresses classroom teachers' influence on children's literary learning in families. The challenge of working with families has sometimes been ignored in the past, leading in effect to parental exclusion. An alternative approach can be based on some key ideas. A broad concept of family literacy and an expanded concept of literacy…

This book discusses what can be done to extend literacy and raise literacy standards for all sections of the population, the relationship between home learning and school learning, and the role of parents in their children's education, focusing on the situation in England. It is designed to assist teachers who work cooperatively with parents in…

Interviews 40 British parents and their children's nursery school teachers, concerning parental involvement in children's preschool reading and writing. Reveals parents frequently assist and direct their children in language arts activities but do not feel confident and teachers expressed doubts about parental interest. Shows need for greater…