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1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 310, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-8204

Telephone: 502-573-2851 or 800-853-2851 Fax: 502-573-1412 or 800-383-1412

http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/ltprc/home.htm E-mail: LTPRC%LTPRC@MSMAIL.STATE.KY.US

CONTACT: Peter Schirmer

NOTE TO EDITORS: Attached to the release are figures illustrating the questions and results.

FRANKFORT, KY (September 3, 1996) - What experts have known for years-that parental involvement is key to a child's success in school-doesn't come as news to many Kentucky families. A recent survey by the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center, conducted by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center, found that a remarkable percentage of Kentucky families read their children and volunteer for school-related activities, findings that may bode well for the future.

Based on the findings of a Spring telephone survey of 629 Kentucky households, researchers found that 60 percent of Kentucky families with young children read to them every day. That compares favorably to recent national survey findings, which estimated that only about half of families nationwide read to their young children every day. The household survey also found that 60 percent of all Kentucky parents with children in public or private schools have volunteered their time for school-related activities within the past year, contributions that not only signal strong parental support for their children but for education in general.

"This is exciting news," said Robert F. Sexton, Executive Director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, a non-profit organization that advocates school reform and educational improvement. "By reading to their children, parents encourage them in a way that is key to educational improvement. We're also pleased to learn that so many of Kentucky's parents are apparently becoming involved in the education of their children in other important ways." In July the Prichard Committee announced the formation of a Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership that will focus statewide attention on building critical parental involvement in the education process.

The survey findings show that parents at all income and education levels in Kentucky read to their children, although parents with a college degree appear somewhat more likely to read to them every day, while parents with less education do so less often. The education level of parents apparently has a greater effect on volunteer activity. More than 80 percent of Kentucky parents with a bachelor's degree or higher report that they have volunteered time for school-related activities within the past year, compared to less than half of parents with a high school education or less. However, volunteers with less education contribute more hours per month, on average, than volunteers with more education.

While particular emphasis is being placed on the vital role parents play in early childhood education, these survey results suggest that many Kentucky parents continue to volunteer time for school activities after their children are past the early primary years. Nearly two-thirds of parents with a child eight years old or younger volunteer time for school-related activities. While the percentage falls for parents whose children are all older than eight, more than half of respondents still report volunteering for school activities.

Reading to children is particularly important in light of national deficiencies in this critical learning area and its potential long-term consequences. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 40 percent of the nation's fourth graders do not possess even basic reading skills, and only one in four fourth graders reads at a proficient level (or better). Similarly, 30 percent of eighth and twelfth graders lack basic reading skills. Reading failure has been linked to emotional disorders and violent behavior in children, outcomes which can exact a significant long-term toll in terms of lost productivity.

In addition to encouraging children to read at an early age, parental participation can help boost a child's education in many other ways, from monitoring attendance and making sure homework is completed to encouraging achievement and nurturing an interest in learning. One recent study found that reading to preschoolers can actually raise their IQ scores. As children grow older, parents can provide stimulating materials, establish a regular routine for studying, and talk to their children about school, all of which play an important role in helping children do well in school.

The survey was commissioned by the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center and conducted by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center. The survey included 629 Kentuckians.