Product Review

Here, author William A. Sampson examines the role of the family in the school preparation process among poor Blacks and Latinos. It is based upon the data collected during intense long-term observations of 21 disadvantaged minority students and families in their homes within the same community. The data suggests that the differences in performances are to a large degree a function of differences in the specific ways in which their parents (most often the mother) prepares them for the educational experience. When discipline, responsibility, delayed gratification, internal control, the value of education, and high self-esteem are emphasized consistently in the home, students tend to achieve. When the home environment is quiet, structured, and orderly, the students do well in school. Most importantly, when parents help their children with homework, the students excel. This book: Frames the issues of the educational improvement, Lays out the methodology, Presents the data arranged by the academic performance of the students, Presents a detailed analysis of the data and their impact upon both the debate over educational improvement and the theoretical issue of the link between race/ethnicity, social class, and education, Offers comparisons between poor Black families and poor Latino families. Will be of interest to scholars in educational improvement, public school teachers, administrators, policy makers, and those concerned with social class and its ramifications.