Parents are a child's first and most influential teacher. People hear this truism often, yet nowhere has the author seen it more taken to heart than at Tower Street Elementary School. The school's efforts to form a true partnership with students' families--from involving families in the first day of school, to the principal making home visits, to…

The role of personal motivational characteristics and environmental social supports in college outcomes was examined in a longitudinal study of 100 ethnic minority first-generation college students. Personal/career-related motivation to attend college in the fall was a positive predictor and lack of peer support was a negative predictor of college…

In this article, 18 studies using parent consultation to effect a change in children's school-related behavior were evaluated according to guidelines set forth by the APA's Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology. Results indicate that parent consultation is an effective method of intervention delivery for a variety of…

The current study examines research questions proposed by an expanded version of Darling and Steinberg's contextual model of parenting. Using a sample of 184 adolescents, the analyses indicated that adolescents' perceptions of parental educational goals and values were related positively and significantly to their reports of parental school…

College students rank "raising a family" as one of their primary values (American Council on Education and University of California, 2003). Yet, little is known about their understanding of the respective roles of motherhood and fatherhood. Feminism, dual career marriages, and more egalitarian role models may have altered adherence to…

This paper draws upon evidence from a three-year longitudinal study of young children drawing across home, pre-school and school. The study shows how the belief systems of significant adults and more able peers/siblings impact upon the child's access to, use of and beliefs about drawing. Concentrating upon the children when in the Foundation Stage…

Concerning the role of parental smoking on development of adolescent smoking, most studies have exclusively focused on the direct effects of parents' smoking on youths' smoking. However, parental smoking may also play an indirect role by affecting youths' susceptibility to peer influences and by affecting friendship selection. Data were from a…

The 1995 wave of the Add Health study is used to investigate the relative influence of parent gender and residence on patterns of parental involvement with adolescents. Adolescent reports (N=17,330) of shared activities, shared communication, and relationship quality with both biological parents are utilized. A multidimensional scaling analysis…

This study investigated child and early adolescent relationships with parents and peers within the theoretical framework of attachment. A cross-sectional sample of 279 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders completed two self-report measures assessing attachment to parents and friends. Fourth graders described more trusting and communicative…

Background: Family quality of life is a relatively new field of study. Research has primarily concentrated on families of children and young adults with intellectual disability (ID). Method: This project explored the concept of family quality of life from the perspective of older parents who had adult children with ID aged 40. Focus groups,…

Early childhood education highlights partnership between teacher and parents as positively influencing children's learning. This article describes how teachers became aware of a lack of shared understanding between them and parents about the "parent help" role in their kindergarten, and their efforts to redress this situation. Changes…

Parenting education programs have traditionally consisted of teaching skills and providing information about child development, but have not focused on parents' own development as individuals and as parents. The Reflective Dialogue Parent Education Design (RDPED) described in this article helps parents increase their self-awareness and their…

Parent involvement literature rarely considers students' perspectives. Based on individual interviews with 14 diverse Grade 10-12 students from a rural secondary school in northern Alberta, Canada, this qualitative case study documents students' perspectives on the appropriate role for parents in school improvement targeting academic achievement.…

The paper reminds readers of the importance of "playful talk" in bridging home and school discourses. Through a number of excerpts of bilingual and monolingual children drawn from homes and classrooms over the past decade, it illustrates how school discourse may be taken home and transformed into "home talk" through play.…

This article presents initial findings from a study that examined how African American mothers from a low-income neighborhood conceptualized their roles in their children's mathematics learning. Based on interviews and observations focusing on ten mothers' involvement in their children's education, we offer a framework that expands typical…