Analyzes parenting behaviors that may contribute to ethnic and racial gaps in school readiness and identifies effective parenting interventions. Research reveals ethnic and racial differences across many parenting dimensions, but most strikingly when it comes to language, with negative consequences for both vocabulary building and reading achievement. Further research demonstrates that: (1) language is most likely to be improved by family literacy programs that focus directly on shared book reading; (2) parent behavior training programs aimed at helping children develop social skills in the classroom are most effective when they involve both parents and pre-school teachers; (3) center-based early childhood programs with a parenting component have increased vocabulary, reading and math achievement, and IQ as well as child well-being; and (4) early childhood education programs seem to have more benefits for children of young mothers with a high school education or less who have low psychological resources. While racial and ethnic differences in parenting styles largely parallel racial and ethnic differences in school readiness, it is possible to alter the parenting behavior of minority mothers through targeted parenting programs. Such programs can both enhance, and begin to close the gaps in, the school readiness of minority children.
