THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF HOME AND SCHOOL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERACY SKILLS FOR MIDDLE-GRADE STUDENTS

Variations in the home environments of poor and middle-income children affect their literacy development, which leads to substantial differe nces in reading ability and behavior. Schools can mediate influences f rom home through the conditions that they foster and the instructional policies arid procedures they promote. The result of schools efforts may either ameliorate or magnify,the inequities in reading development related to family economic conditions. This study tests these content ions in middle-grade schools by using a nationally representative samp le of poor and middle-class eighth graders from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Home and school effects on our measure of literacy development-a standardized test of reading compreh ension-are explored with multilevel methods (hierarchical linear model ing). While homes exert an important influence on this outcome, findin gs focusing on schools and classrooms are emphasized. The study also h ighlights school conditions and policies that foster social equity in the literacy development of young adolescents. Implications of current school reform efforts are discussed.