Family Contexts in Middle Childhood Academic Achievement

How well children perform academically is based, in part, on their cognitive abilities, motivation, and engagement in school. Decades of research show, however, that parental interest and involvement in their children’s school life is also related to school achievement (Van Voorhis, 2000; Weiss, Dearing, Mayer, Kreider, & McCartney, 2005). Studies have illustrated that parental involvement is most effective when parents support their children’s academic achievement at home in the following ways:

• Managing and Organizing Time. Parents of successful students actively help them organize their daily and weekly schedules and check to see if they are following their routines. Regular routines at home are also related to better school performance (Taylor, 1996).
• Involvement with Homework. Making certain that homework is completed, discussing the specifics of assignments and papers, explaining the assignments, checking accuracy, and actively helping children complete assignments are all related to children's academic performance (Cooper, Jackson & Nye, 2001).
• Discussing School Matters. Children whose parents converse regularly with them about school experiences, both good and bad, perform better academically (ho & Williams, 1996; Steinberg, 1996).
• Literacy and Reading at Home. There is a strong relationship between literacy activities and opportunities in the home (e.g., silent reading time, numerous printed material) and school performance (Gauvain, Savage, & McCollum, 2000).