ELF Blog
Impact
Does Readiness Matter?
Does Readiness Matter? How Kindergarten Readiness Translates into Academic Success is a longitudinal study involving children from Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties that reflect four readiness profiles. The research findings conclude that blocks of readiness skills and certain individual skills significantly contribute to academic success through middle grades. The paper explores readiness dimensions and their impact on school performance, identifies the priority skills and explores the gaps that exist among various profiles of readiness. The full report is available at http://www.appliedsurveyresearch.org/www/products/DoesReadinessMatter_ALongitudinalAnalysisFINAL3.pdf
Effective Parent Training Programs
What makes parenting training programs effective? A recent study reviewed 77 published evaluations of parent training programs and identified the common characterisitics. With effectiveness defined as the greatest impact on parent and child (birth - 7) behaviors, four areas emerged: 1) helping parents create positive interactions with their children; 2) providing an opportunity for parents to practice the new skill; 3) training for parents in emotional communication; and 4) including timeout and providing opprotunities for consistent response to children's behavior.
An abstract of the study can be found at http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/articles.cfm?article_id=1529 . The full report was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, May, 2008.
ELF Activities that Make a Difference
What services or activities seem to make a difference with families who participate in ELF?