Family Involvement in School and Low-income Children's Literacy: Longitudinal Associations Between and Within Families

Longitudinal data from 281 children (collected from kindergarten to fifth grade) examined whether parental school involvement (participation in school activities) was associated with student literacy scores in a diverse, low income sample of families. Higher than average levels of parental involvement were positively associated with higher levels of literacy performance across the study time points for children from less educated families. Within families, increased school involvement over time predicted improved child literacy.