The effort caregivers make in readying the home for learning will be rewarded. According to The Family: America's Smallest School (2007, ETS), children achieve more academically when learning resources are available at home. Such resources include books, magazines, and newspapers, as well as a home computer with access to the Internet, and quiet place for study.

The report's conclusion might seem commonsensical, but many U.S. parents and caregivers may want to assess how well they support learning at home. The statistics that Paul Barton and Richard Coley include in the highlights from their report, for example, suggest that there is room for improvement:

• Seventy-six percent of U.S. children had access to a home computer in 2003, and 42 percent used the Internet. Black and Hispanic children lagged behind, however.
   
• Eighty-six percent of U.S. eighth-graders reported having a desk or table where they could study, just above the international average, but well below the averages of many countries.
   
• Thirty-five percent of eighth-graders watch four or more hours of television on an average weekday. That percentage varies by race and ethnicity, though: 24 percent of White eighth-graders spend at least four hours in front of a television on a given day, while 59 percent of their Black peers do so.
   
• A comparison of eighth-graders in 45 countries found that U.S. students spend less time reading books for enjoyment and doing jobs at home than students in the average country participating in the study. U.S. eighth-graders spent more time, on average, watching television and videos, talking with friends, and participating in sports activities. They also spend almost one more hour daily using the Internet.
   
• The United States ranked 25th of 45 countries in students'; school attendance. In the United States, one in five students misses three or more days of school a month. Asian-American students have the fewest absences. (2007, p. 2).
   

What's a parent to do? School leaders can emphasize that there are factors related to school achievement that are within the control of parents, write Barton and Coley. These include:

• Getting students out of bed and off to school on time.
   
• Establishing rules for television watching.
   
• Reading to and talking with young children.
   
• Setting limits on non-academic computer games and Internet surfing.
   
• Creating a quiet place for study and ensuring that students' siblings respect that study time.
   

"Parents must understand how important these seemingly modest efforts can be for their children's success," write Barton and Coley (2007, p. 40). "Equally important is assisting parents who are willing, but unable, to take these steps. That means providing instruction in parenting skills to those who need them, teaching non-reading parents how to read, and helping families obtain suitable reading materials for their homes," the authors conclude (2007, p.40).
 

Reference: Barton, P. & Coley, R. (2007). The Family: America's Smallest School. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service (ETS). Retrieved online at http://www.ets.org on 01/02/08.
 

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