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Verizon Family Literacy & Technology Initiative |
The impact of literacy in the home and parental involvement in literacy and school-related activities is significant. In homes where reading materials are plentiful, children have higher average reading proficiencies, according to the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress. The same study, which involved 27,400 public and non-public school students, showed that children from homes where there are frequent discussions about school and reading have higher average proficiencies. Parental reading to and with children, parental conceptions of the roles of education and literacy, and literacy modeling and support in the home environment also support children's success in reading, according to a 1996 paper commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education ("Family Literacy: Parent and Child Interaction," L. Mikulecky, Indiana University). Parents want what is best for their children, including providing a supportive learning environment. Moreover, parents want to take advantage of opportunities for their own self-improvement and learning. Family literacy programs help parents to achieve those goals, resulting in increased literacy skills, life skills, job skills, parenting skills, and self-esteem for parents as well as educational gains for children. A survey of several dozen family literacy programs conducted by Morrow, Tracey and Maxwell found that "results range from positive attitude change to follow-up reports of children's success in school to increased parental participation in school-related events." Other documented outcomes of family literacy programs have included increased library visits, more reading materials in the home, increased parental reading to children, and increased children's literacy related activity (L. Mikulecky, 1996.) Beginning in the late 1980s and gaining momentum through the 1990s, literacy in a family context has become an increasingly important area of concentration for LVA. In 1990, about 25% of LVA affiliates were involved in family literacy. Through a strong organizational commitment and support from the Verizon Foundation and the New York Life Foundation, that percent has grown to over 50%. |
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