School–Home Links

Consonance and harmony between home and school in formal instruction and informal interactions mean that children receive the same message about what their society expects of a competent and productive adult and have access to resources and opportunities that maximize their productivity as adults. This entry discusses the reasons for the absence of such harmony and the developmental outcomes associated with the potential absence of harmony between home and school. These include the frequency and quality of parental involvement at home and school at different developmental time periods, among different ethnic and socioeconomic status groups, and in different countries. Also discussed is the quality of involvement by educators with children and parents.