Racial and Ethnic Variation in Parental Home Involvement: A Look at the Affect of School Characteristics on Home Literacy Involvement

Littisha A. Bates, University of Cincinnati

Based on prior literature we know that minority parents are less likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to be involved in their children’s schooling. However we know based on previous literature that parental involvement is a significant predictor of academic success. While a great deal of attention has been paid to predicting at school involvement there is gap in the literature when considering at home involvement. This paper seeks to thoroughly examine the predictors of at home involvement, paying close attention to the affect of school characteristics. Initial analysis using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 indicate that there is some racial and ethnic variation in parental home involvement as well as change in home involvement over time. The final analysis for the paper will use multiple level models to examine the influence of family and school characteristics on parent’s engagement in home literacy activities.