Parental Expectations and Child Academic Performance in a Low-Income Sample

Introduction: It has been well-documented that parents who report that they expect their children to do well in school tend to have children with relatively higher school achievement, even when child ability is controlled. Prior research on the mechanism of action accounting for this link has focused on parental involvement activities, such as volunteering in the classroom or taking a child to the library. While these factors account for some of the expectation-outcome link, they are also correlated with parent socio-economic status.  Little research has examined links between parental expectations and child achievement in a low-income population which is more homogeneous in terms of parental education and background.  In addition, no study to date has tested whether or not parental academic expectations are tractable in the context of intervention. The present study examines parental academic expectations and child academic performance in a low-income Head Start sample, exploring longitudinal predictions from Head Start into kindergarten and the impact of a school readiness intervention with a parenting component.

Method: Participants were recruited from 24 Head Start centers and included 210 children (mean age=4.80, SD=.29) and their caregivers (89% mothers). The median annual household income was $18,000. Child academic performance was measured via teacher ratings and direct assessment during Head Start and one year later (post-intervention) in Kindergarten. Caregivers were also interviewed at both time points. Children were randomized to an enriched home visiting program designed to enhance school readiness or “usual practice” Head Start home visiting.

Results: Parental academic expectations were significantly correlated with teacher-rated school readiness (r=.41, p<.001) and to some measures of child language and emergent literacy skills (r= .16 -.19, p<.05).  Multiple regressions indicated that, after controlling for parent education, household income, and parental involvement, parental academic expectations remained a significant predictor of teacher-rated school readiness.  Additional analyses indicated intervention effects on parental expectations over time, but these effects varied as a function of child characteristics.

Conclusions: These results underscore the importance of parental academic expectations in relation to child academic performance, even in a low-income sample that is relatively homogeneous in terms of parental education and income. The findings also suggest that the factors influencing this association in a low-income sample may differ from those operating in a more mixed and upper-income sample. In addition, these findings point to the possibility that a parenting intervention can positively influence expectations.