Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between African American parental involvement, parental social capital and gains in children’s reading achievement. Research has examined the link between reading achievement and academic achievement and has found that children’s reading gains and reading achievement are positively correlated with overall academic achievement and success. The study utilized the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, (ECLS) Kindergarten class of 1998-1999 which is administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). Ten variables representing parental school involvement, parental educational expectations for their children, home and community resources, and household structure served as predictors of reading gain from Kindergarten through fifth grade. Results from this study found that parental educational expectations, that is, parents’ expectations of the highest level of education their children will attain, accounted for most of the relationship with reading gain. Additionally, this study showed that there are differences in family structure and family functioning in that the structure of the family is less important than how the family functions. Finally, this study also discusses the findings in relation to implications parents, teachers, researches and policymakers.
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