A study was conducted to explore whether the methods employed by the Cooperative Extension Service in its dissemination of practical skills and knowledge are of help to today's families. In order to examine these factors, two leadership programs for women sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service in Alaska were studied. One group, the Extension Homemakers, has family at its core and a secondary emphasis on leadership and public policy studies. The second group, the Family-Community-Leadership program (FCL), has leadership and public policy at its core with a secondary emphasis on family. These two programs were selected because of the potential stress that leadership development may place on women and their families. The study examined the presence of family strengths as perceived by the program participants in comparison to the length of time and intensity of involvement in the program. Using standardized tests, four independent variables were also examined for their relationship to both family strength and program involvement. Those items were self-esteem, locus of control, spousal support, and type of family. The findings of this research were different than what was expected. Family strength was statistically the same for both groups but higher than the national norm. Self-esteem for both groups was also statistically the same but lower than the national norm. FCL participants had greater internal locus of control, greater spousal support, and more egalitarian families than the homemakers, and vice versa. The duration and intensity of involvement in leadership programs had virtually no impact on the perception of family strength. At the same time, the cumulative effect of participation could be of major concern, and the study concluded that consideration should be given to influences on the family when Extension programs are planned. (KC)