This research summary reports results from a 2006 study of Missouri children who participated in Parents as Teachers and other early childhood experiences. Researchers investigated the impact of pre-kindergarten services on 7,710 Missouri children's readiness for school and performance on state assessments at the end of the early elementary years. (Author abstract)
Research in the last three decades has established a clear link between parental involvement and children's educational attainment. While most of what we know is based on mother-child interactions, increased attention has been paid to the specific influences fathers and other male caregivers have on their children's development. This paper briefly summarises the findings from the field of father involvement that also address the issue of children's literacy practices. Since the literature on father involvement and children's literacy outcomes is limited with significant knowledge gaps, the…
Many school children and their families are faced with multiple health, education, and social service needs that no single agency is in a position to address alone. One intervention strategy that many schools are now beginning to use in these situations is a case management approach which emanates from the schools’ concern for children who are failing in school due to a variety of interacting school, home, and community influences. The purpose of this publication is to introduce school personnel concerned with early intervention with potential school dropouts to a promising school-based…
U.S. women graduate from high school at higher rates than U.S. men, but the female-male educational advantage is larger, and has increased by more, among black students and students of low socioeconomic status (SES) than among white and high-SES students. The authors explore why boys fare worse than girls in low-SES households—both behaviorally and educationally—by exploiting matched birth certificates, health, disciplinary, academic, and high school graduation records for more than 1 million children born in Florida between 1992 and 2002. They account for unobserved family heterogeneity by…
New economic realities have focused attention on how to best design workforce development strategies to help low-wage and low-skill workers succeed. Lack of child care is one important barrier that can make it difficult for low-income parents to successfully participate in education and training programs. This report provides an overview of the child care and workforce development systems, and discusses the issues that lie at the intersection of these two worlds. It concludes with a description of next steps for policymakers and practitioners in each domain, and important questions that still…
This report presents a review and analysis of Region V's Fatherhood Special Initiative (FSI) and Early Head Start Fatherhood Demonstration grants. The grant awards were designed to promote father involvement and children's early literacy and language development (In this document, the terms "father involvement" and "male involvement" are used interchangeably). The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) spoke with Head Start and Early Head Start staff members over a four-month period to identify unique and innovative practices utilized by these grantees. (Author abstract)
Father involvement has a unique impact on children's outcomes, including cognitive development, achievement, math and reading scores, as well as behavior. Father involvement coordinators, parent involvement specialists, and other staff members who work with families can find this handbook useful as it provides insight into why fathers are important in their children's lives. Many studies conclude that children with highly involved fathers, in relation to children with less involved fathers, tend to be more cognitively and socially competent. (Author abstract).
