The Family: America's Smallest School. Policy Information Report

The family and the home are both critical education institutions where children begin learning before they start school, and where they spend much of their time after they start school. It therefore follows that improving a child's home environment to make it more conducive to learning is critical to improving the educational achievement of the nation's students and closing achievement gaps. The kinds of family and home conditions that research has found to make a difference in children's cognitive development and school achievement include: (1) Parent-Pupil Ratio; (2) Family Finances; (3) Literacy Development; (4) Child Care Disparities; (5) Home as an Educational Resource; and (6) Parent-School Relationship. The authors discuss how family and home characteristics can be used to predict student achievement, and what current family trends imply about the future state of student learning in the United States. Statistics and research findings are included from small research studies, national censuses and databases, and international surveys. Information is targeted to readers with different interests, perspectives and needs, but with a common interest in improving student learning and reducing achievement gaps. A table of predicted achievement in 8th grade reading by state is appended. (Contains 42 footnotes, 28 figures, and 5 tables.)