Children's Educational Success Research Articles

Insights into the associations of polygenic risk scores and parents' socioeconomic status on students' educational achievement

A complex and multifaceted problem that has been widely studied in the field of education is the impact of genetic variables and parents' socioeconomic status (SES) on students' academic achievement. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds struggle academically due to scarce resources, educational opportunities and developmental delays. For successful interventions and policies aiming at expanding educational opportunities and reducing performance gaps, it is essential to understand the relationship between these elements. To achieve this, we investigate the complex relationship between genetic characteristics, socioeconomic status and their combined effect on children's educational attainment. Families' financial position and children's acquired DNA differences, which can be integrated into Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS), are the two most important factors of children's educational success obtainable during childbirth. The sample consisted of 1451 low-income teenage females (n=718) enrolled in rural public schools between the ages of 14 and 19. We show that throughout the academic years, both the PRS and SES predict higher levels of educational achievement. In addition to predicting first-year academic success, we find that SES and PRS explain why students' grades fluctuate so much over a school year. Children with high PRS and high SES origins enroll in university at a rate of 70%, in contrast to 30% among individuals with lower PRS and lower SES families. We determine the relationships between SES and PRS as well as academic success are usually positive, indicating that their combined impact is significant for students at the extreme ends of the dispersion.

FACTORS INFLUENCING PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING: A CASE STUDY OF B40 AND T20 FAMILIES IN MALAYSIA

Abstract Parental involvement (PI) is crucial for children's educational success, particularly in learning English as a Second Language (ESL). In Malaysia, PI in their children’s ESL learning could be insufficient, with parents potentially not providing adequate support for their children's education. Socioeconomic disparities may also impact the level and nature of parental engagement in children's education This qualitative study explores factors influencing parental involvement in ESL learning among low-income (B40) and high-income (T20) families in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 parents of children attending Malaysian primary public schools, with 6 parents from each income group, selected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the findings, focusing on motivational beliefs, perceptions of invitations, and life contexts as influencing factors. Despite facing financial constraints and time limitations, B40 parents demonstrated resourcefulness and dedication, while T20 parents had more opportunities to support their children. The study underscores the importance of enhancing communication, implementing targeted support programs, and fostering a more inclusive school environment to empower all parents as active partners in their children's ESL learning journey.

Exploring Black parents’ critical consciousness in relation to their engagement with their children's schools

AbstractDespite consensus that parent involvement is integral to children's educational success, Black parents’ involvement remains largely characterized from a deficits‐based perspective. Using critical race and critical consciousness theories, this study explored parents’ analysis of educational inequities and their school engagement. Using interview data from a sample of Black parents (n = 20), emergent understandings of parents’ thoughts, motivations, and actions to engage with their child's school were explored. Findings revealed that Black parents held both critical and traditional views, expressed themes of internal and external efficacy in their motivation, and engaged critically and traditionally in their child's education. Results are consonant with literature on Black parents’ engagement and to the nascent understanding of how parents' beliefs about structural racial oppression within schools impacts how they engage in that space.

Parental Awareness of the Preschool Orthoptics Visual Screening in Brunei-Muara District and Factors Contributing to Defaulters.

The preschool orthoptics visual screening program began in Brunei Darussalam in 2004 to detect amblyopia, a common cause of treatable visual disorders in children. Amblyopia can be asymptomatic, easily missed, and cause permanent adverse visual consequences; hence, it is necessary to be screened. The parental role in ensuring timely visual screening is pivotal to their child's visual well-being and educational success. This study explored parental awareness and reasons for their nonattendance. A cross-sectional study of 401 parents was conducted in the Brunei-Muara district in private kindergarten schools and maternal and child health clinics. A self-designed and self-administered questionnaire was used. Data collected was analysed using RStudio in the form of descriptive and analytic statistics. The study findings showed that 52.8% defaulted their screening and there was a significant association between parental awareness and the defaulters (p < 0.05). Only 39.9% of parents were aware of the screening service availability, and 50.1% had not taken their children for an eye check. The most significant sociodemographic factor that influenced awareness of the importance of vision screening was parental employment status (p = 0.013), revealing a 4.43 times higher likelihood of default if the father was unemployed. This study found that with each additional child, parents are 1.25 times less likely to seek eye screening (p < 0.05). The main reason for nonattendance was a lack of awareness of the situation and parents believed that their children were seeing well. Mitigating child visual screening defaults requires a community-focused approach.

Home learning environments and children's language and literacy skills: A meta-analytic review of studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries.

A robust finding from research in high-income countries is that children living in resource-poor homes are vulnerable to difficulties with language and literacy but less is known about this association in low- and middle-income (LMI) countries. We present a meta-analysis of 6,678 correlations from studies in 43 LMI countries. Overall, the results indicate a small but significant association (r = .08) between home language and literacy environment and children's language and literacy skills. After examining a range of moderators, adult literacy practices and books-at-home had a significantly larger association with children's language and literacy skills than did home tutoring. Studies using customized measures demonstrated a more marked association between home attributes and children's outcomes (r = .14) than studies using a common measure across multiple sites (r = .06). Published studies showed significantly larger associations than unpublished studies, and countries with greater income inequality showed a larger association than relatively egalitarian societies. We conclude that the small overall association should not be taken as support for the absence of, or a vanishingly small relationship between the home learning environment and children's language and literacy skills in LMI countries. Rather, an important factor in detecting this relationship is that assessments must better reflect the nature of homes in different cultures to capture true variation in the population. Such contextually situated measurement would lead to an inclusive conceptualization of home learning environments and can better inform intervention programs to enhance children's educational success, a critical target for many LMI countries. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences in Hearing Devices and Speech Therapy Utilization Between Children With Permanent Unilateral Versus Bilateral Hearing Loss.

In this study, we aimed to describe differences in diagnosis and both auditory and speech/language intervention utilization between children with permanent unilateral hearing loss as compared with bilateral hearing loss. A retrospective cohort study was performed of children evaluated in a multidisciplinary hearing loss clinic at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Children aged 0 to 18 years with either permanent unilateral or bilateral hearing loss were included. One hundred fourteen children with unilateral hearing loss and 268 children with bilateral hearing loss were studied for a total of 382 children. There were no demographic differences between children with permanent unilateral versus bilateral hearing loss. Rates of newborn hearing screening and referred screening results were similar between those with unilateral and bilateral hearing loss. Despite similar rates of referred newborn hearing screening, those with bilateral hearing loss were diagnosed at a younger age (mean 3.6 years, SD 3.8 years) as compared with those with unilateral hearing loss (mean 5.0 years, SD 4.2 years). Children with unilateral hearing loss had similar severity of hearing loss in their poorer hearing ear as compared with children with bilateral hearing loss, yet they were significantly less likely to be fitted with hearing devices (53% versus 78%) or receive speech/language therapy (36% versus 54%) as compared with children with bilateral hearing loss. Multivariate analysis found that bilateral hearing loss and earlier age of hearing loss diagnosis were associated with hearing device use. Early diagnosis and intervention for childhood hearing loss have a significant impact on a child's educational success and social relationships. However, little is known about differences in diagnosis and resource utilization between children with permanent unilateral hearing loss versus bilateral hearing loss. Children with unilateral hearing loss were diagnosed at a later age and were less likely to utilize hearing devices or speech/language therapy compared with those with bilateral hearing loss, despite having similar severity of hearing loss in the poorer hearing ear. There is a strong body of evidence that children with unilateral hearing loss have improved hearing outcomes with hearing devices, which suggests there is room for improvement in identifying unilateral hearing loss and providing adequate services to optimize educational success. However, speech therapy is generally implemented in response to language delays. Therefore, children with unilateral loss may have lower rates of language delays as compared with those with bilateral hearing loss, thereby explaining differences in speech therapy utilization.

Parent and teacher judgments about children's mathematics and reading competencies in primary school: Do parent judgments associate with children's educational outcomes?

Most research on this topic has focused on examining parent and teacher judgments separately. Therefore, information about the relationship between parent and teacher judgments and children's cognitive competence is relatively sparse. To bridge this research gap, this study aimed to examine the relationships between both parent and teacher judgments and children's mathematics and reading competencies.The present study used data from the Starting Cohort 2 of the German National Educational Panel Study, which primarily collected data on children, but also collected data on parents and educators.The results of multilevel regression models confirmed the significant contribution of both parent and teacher judgments in explaining the variance in mathematics and reading competencies. More importantly, the results indicated that the combined contribution of parent and teacher judgments to children's competencies is more meaningful than their independent judgments. This result highlights the role of family-school partnerships in promoting children's educational success.

Parenting Management of Early Childhood Learning Independence

The field is related to parenting and child independence. Namely, the parenting style applied by each parent is different, causing the diversity of children's independence in Sanata Bhakti Kindergarten. In addition, parents are less aware that the family environment is one of the educational centres that can improve children's educational success. Based on the partial results of the study, it was found that a) there was a significant influence between authoritarian parenting on early childhood independence of 0.03, which is less than the alpha value = 5% (0.03 &lt;0.05). With the result t count &gt; t table (4.034 &gt; 2.056). b) there is a significant influence between democratic parenting styles on early childhood independence of 0.00 which is less than the value of alpha = 5% (0.03 &lt;0.05). With the result t count &gt; t table (4.708 &gt; 2.056). c) there is a significant influence between democratic parenting styles on early childhood independence of 0.02 which is less than the value of alpha = 5% (0.02 &lt;0.05). With the results of t count &gt; t table (2.689 &gt; 2.056). Based on the results of the study simultaneously obtained a calculated F value of 549.561&gt; 2.39 (F table), this proves that authoritarian, democratic and permissive factors simultaneously have a positive and significant influence on early childhood independence in Sanata Bhakti Kindergarten with a coefficient of determination (R2) 98.3% while the remaining 1.7% is influenced by other factors not mentioned. The conclusion from this study is that children's independence can be increased if parents pay more attention to the factors that influence it.

Non-Native English-Speaking Immigrant Parents' Perceptions of Self-Esteem, Stress, and Life Satisfaction

Parents play an integral role in developmental growth and educational success for children with disabilities [1,2]. When parents give adequate support and encouragement, children have more opportunities to succeed. At times, this can be difficult to do, as there are various stressors when raising a child with a disability. According to Lu, et al. [3], Chinese parents of children with autism presented lower self-esteem, social support, and life satisfaction. Argyrakouli and Zafiropoulou [4] also conducted a similar study and found significantly lower self-esteem in Greek mothers of children with intellectual disabilities.

Parent's Engagement in the Learning Needs of Learners with Down Syndrome in the New Normal Education

This study probed parental engagement in the learning needs of the learners with Down syndrome (DS) in their homes in Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines, during this new normal education. Parents of a child with DS were the primary participants of this study. Merriam’s case study approach was utilized as a research design. Multiple data sources were considered, such as interview transcripts and observation notes during the actual interview. The results show that parents exerted more effort to ensure their children's educational success amidst the pandemic. The findings of the study reveal parents' efforts to catch the attention of their children during the delivery of learning at home. Although parents struggled to extend their children's limited attention span, they managed to find suitable strategies to keep their focus, like using different reinforcements and utilizing videos from social media platforms to teach their children. It is recommended that parents or guardians of children with DS consider pieces of training on how to effectively facilitate their children's learning process. Special Education (SPED) teachers must guide the parents on how to facilitate learning at home together with the school principal, who could initiate teaching pedagogy seminars and training for parents. The seminars and training would help parents and guardians facilitate their child's learning process.

A Qualitative Examination of Work, Families, and Schools in Low-Income Latinx Communities During Strict Immigration Enforcement.

Education policy and the role of schools are a neglected part of the welfare state. Yet schools may be important sites for understanding how policy, work, and families intersect in immigrant households. Drawing on thirty interviews from seventeen households, this article highlights the experiences of families with young children during a time of increased national hostility toward immigrants. Given that immigrant families are often excluded from more traditional forms of social insurance, findings reveal the central role of fathers both inside and outside the home. Parental involvement, defined as parents' interactions with their children's education both inside and outside the home, was structured by English-dominant schooling environments. In Phoenix, parental involvement was uniquely shaped by a punitive immigration context at father's work and in children's schools. We discuss the implications of our findings on the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage and advance policy recommendations to support foreign- and U.S.-born children's educational success.

Lived Experiences of Public Elementary SLM Writers: Basis for the Development of a Training Program

The study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Public Elementary SLM writers in the new normal education who were required to write modules for various subjects in the elementary level and had difficulties in crafting the modules. The researchers made use of a qualitative approach specifically, descriptive phenomenology to understand the personal experiences of the key informants. A semi-structured online interview was conducted with the eleven selected key informants from various schools. The research study used the purposive sampling technique, open-ended questions as instrument, and data collected were analyzed using Colaizzi’s 1978 phenomenological method. Findings show mastery of content, creativity, time management skills, grammar skills, information and communication technology skills, good communication skills and flexibility are the skills needed to possess as a SLM writer. While the challenges and difficulties encountered are lack of training programs for SLM writers, difficulties in making suitable activities for learners, time constraint in writing modules, overlapping responsibilities, lay-outing difficulties, running out of ideas in content delivery, less proficiency in computer literacy. Different coping practices were also identified by collaboration among colleagues, utilizing academic peripheral resources, time management through priorities, devising ways for the improvement of modules content, and SLM writer’s motivation such as children's educational success and professional development success. The evaluators, criteria and common feedback received during evaluation of SLM were identified. SLM Writers addressed the feedback through considering and taking it as constructive ones. Researchers recommended training and webinars about writing modules. Writers should be resourceful to compensate for the shortcomings of their needs and the children.

Pathways of mathematics achievement in preschool: Examining executive function and task orientation

Despite research demonstrating the importance of mathematics achievement to children's educational success and trajectories, many children enter kindergarten without the foundational mathematics skills needed to succeed (Garcia & Weiss, 2015). Children's executive function (EF) skills and their learning-related behaviors (Anthony & Ogg, 2020) may play a key role in supporting their early mathematics achievement (Morgan et al., 2019). Additionally, there is some evidence that children's learning behaviors are a mechanism through which EF is related to math achievement (e.g., Nesbitt et al., 2015), however this pathway hasn't been fully explored. There is also little to no research that has explored whether the pathways through which EF is related to math achievement function similarly for boys versus girls, although some literature suggests that differences in the nature or strength of the associations could contribute to differences in mathematics achievement among boys and girls in elementary school (e.g., Fryer Jr and Levitt, 2010; Robinson-Cimpian et al., 2013; Robinson & Lubienski, 2011). In this study, we used longitudinal data from a racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse sample of 467 preschoolers to examine (1) if children's EF at the beginning of pre-kindergarten predicts growth in their mathematics achievement across the pre-kindergarten year, (2) whether growth in learning behaviors, specifically task orientation, mediate the associations between EF and mathematics achievement, and (3) if there are sex differences in these associations. We found that growth in children's task orientation partially mediates the association between EF and mathematics achievement for the preschoolers in our study. Although girls had significantly higher task orientation, we did not find a statistically significant difference in the direct associations between EF, task orientation, and mathematics or in the mediating effect of task orientation for boys and girls. The discussion reviews implications and directions for future research.

German Language Acquisition of Refugee Children-The Role of Preschools and Language Instruction.

Mastering the language of the destination country is key to immigrant and refugee children's educational success. Refugee children typically face the challenge of starting or continuing their educational carrier in a completely new context and in a completely new language. In this study, we examine the role of preschool attendance and formal language instruction in supporting young refugee children to acquire destination language competencies. We pursue three research objectives: First, we aim at identifying relevant conditions associated with German language acquisition in general. Second, we examine the (relative) importance of institutional learning support in preschool and language instruction. Third, we investigate whether the benefits of attending preschool are more pronounced for refugee children who have only limited exposure to the destination language outside of the institutional context, as compared to children who have more exposure to the language outside of preschool. Using data from the ReGES study, we analyze the early processes of destination language acquisition among a large population of refugee children of preschool age in Germany. Our findings indicate that conditions associated with motivation, exposure and efficiency of learning that were found in prior research to determine destination language competencies of children from other immigrant groups apply to refugee children in a similar manner. Additional conditions associated with the specific circumstances that refugees often experience, including possible consequences of insecure residence status, risk of post-traumatic stress disorders, and living in collective accommodation, do not significantly contribute to this outcome in our analysis. Furthermore, we find that there is a positive relationship between children's German language competency levels and both preschool attendance and formal language instruction. The findings indicate that the benefits of attending preschool are largely related to additional language instruction that refugee children receive within this context. Moreover, these benefits are particularly pronounced among refugee children who have only limited exposure to German at home and in their everyday lives. Overall, our findings emphasize the importance of preschool attendance and formal language instruction for refugee children's destination language acquisition.

Developing individual lesson and transition plans

The article discusses the peculiarities of drawing up an individual curriculum and an individual transition plan for students with special educational needs. An Individual Learning Plan is a document designed for a student with special educational needs (SEN) that sets out the student's individual learning goals and ways to achieve them. It is important that the individual curriculum (ILP) is based on the national curriculum and takes into account its requirements as much as possible. ILP helps SEN students to be involved in the educational process according to their resources and skills. An individual curriculum can be of different formats, but in terms of content it includes: long-term goals; Short-term goals; Examples of strategies and resources that should be used to work on a child's needs.Early registration for children with special educational needs is designed to plan the transition process, a positive transition experience is one of the key factors in the future social, emotional and educational success of children. Parents of students with SEN should prepare the child for the transition from kindergarten to school, carry out several activities such as: saying goodbye to kindergarten, preparing the child for school, it is effective to go to school with the child and visit the environment, communicate with teachers and assistants, prepare for first class meeting and so on. The transition from study to employment (transition) is associated with a change in lifestyle. An individual transition plan reflects the consistent work process of a particular person and his or her support team with the goal of providing the individual with timely, supportive preparatory work and the services needed to make the transition flexible. There are three intermediate goals and phases in this path, namely, the phases of orientation, training and employment. An individual transition plan helps an adolescent improve his or her quality of life.The development and implementation of an individual curriculum and individual transition plan helps students with special educational needs in intellectual and personal development, promotes integration into society.

Age-Related Changes in Circadian Rhythms and Their Effects on Cognition and Psychological Well-Being: A Literature Review

Introduction: Circadian rhythms, the internal “clocks” that control a variety of physiological processes, have been found to change considerably throughout one’s lifetime. Young adults tend to be more “evening” people, while older adults tend to be more “morning” people due to age-related changes in their sleep-wake cycles. This review aims to discuss the corresponding physiological and psychological changes that occur due to the changing circadian rhythms that come with age. Methods: A literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and AgeLine. Keywords included variations of “circadian rhythms”, “aging”, “chronotype”, “cognition”, “depression”, “mood”, “bipolar disorder”, and “anxiety”. Studies were selected and findings regarding the physiological and psychological changes due to circadian rhythms and aging were reviewed. Results: Research shows that age-related disruptions in circadian rhythms are associated with cognitive and psychological decline. Diminished sleep quality is associated with older age, due to the aforementioned underlying dysregulated circadian rhythms. Sleep deprivation is associated with increased levels of fatigue, stress, and overall mood disturbances. Moreover, circadian rhythm abnormalities associated with old age are related to greater mood disturbances, depression, and anxiety. Discussion: Poor sleep and older age are important factors that can negatively affect one’s mood and emotional well-being. It is imperative that healthcare providers consider these factors when consulting and treating patients. Populations such as shift workers have been found to have impaired levels of alertness, mood, memory, and cognitive performance due to their dysregulated circadian rhythms. Furthermore, time of day plays a crucial role in the educational success of children and adolescents. Young individuals with an evening chronotype are put at a disadvantage for early school start times due to their opposing optimal times of performance. Conclusion: Circadian rhythm dysfunction that is commonly associated with aging has the potential to contribute to adverse outcomes in human health, including cognitive deficits and pathological conditions. Future research efforts should concentrate on further clarifying the relationship between changing circadian rhythms and its impact on psychological well-being.

How do educational inequalities develop? The role of socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, home environment, and self-efficacy along the educational path

In Western countries, children's education is strongly influenced by their social background, which cannot be fully explained by individual differences in cognitive ability between social classes. It is still an open question how, to what extent and at what point along the educational path individual and family factors shape children's educational success. In the present study, twins (N = 6174) clustered in three age cohorts (11, 17 and 23 years) were examined using multilevel analyses to test if parental socioeconomic status (SES) and children's cognitive ability, as well as family's quality of home environment and children's self-efficacy can explain the development of educational inequalities captured via school track recommendations and university attendance. Results showed educational inequalities at each critical point along the entire path of education. With increasing parental SES, individual cognitive abilities mattered significantly less, so that children from high parental SES families often received a recommendation to attend upper secondary education even with low cognitive abilities. In contrast, the association between cognitive abilities and university attendance increased with increasing parental SES in the older age cohort, whereby individuals with high cognitive abilities but low parental SES rarely attended university. Furthermore, for school track recommendations, with increasing children's self-efficacy and better home environment the educational recommendation improved, while home environment amplified the effect of SES on the development of educational inequalities. These results suggest a waste of academic potential of low SES children. Subsequent studies should examine further constructs that could contribute to the development of educational inequalities.

Community-Based Trauma-Informed Care Following Immigrant Family Reunification: A Narrative Review.

Many immigrant families made the decision to separate from their children and migrate to the United States (US) hoping to reunite when able. Contrary to what is envisioned, the ultimate reunification can be a challenging transition. Reestablishing the parent-child relationship can be hindered by the anger, distress, vulnerability, and abuse the child may have experienced during the separation leading to behavioral concerns and depressive symptoms. The culmination of trauma and adverse childhood events prior to and following reunification is associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, behavioral disorders, and toxic stress. Unaddressed, these issues can lead to poor adult psychiatric health and limit a child's educational success and potential lifetime earnings. Trauma-informed programming has been an effective tool in addressing the mental health needs of refugee and immigrant children and may benefit this particular group of reunified families when held in a community setting alongside peer support. Familias Reunidas and Family Reunification and Resiliency Training (FUERTE) are 2 community-based programs that successfully guided recently reunified families through the process of reconnecting. Review of these programs suggests there is significance in the collaboration of health care providers, education specialists, and community liaisons in program creation, cultivation of a supportive group environment, incorporation of trauma-informed principles, and partnership with a community establishment. These components can lead to a reunification program that provides access to mental health services in order to work toward eliminating the health disparities affecting these families. Brief Summary: Family reunification can be a challenging transition for recently immigrated children whose parent(s) immigrated to the US years before them. Community programming could provide access to trauma-informed care to overcome the emotional distress reunification can cause within families.

Can Superstition Create a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? School Outcomes of Dragon Children in China

In Chinese culture, those who are born in the year of the are believed to be destined for good fortune and greatness, and parents prefer their kids to be born in a year. Using provincial level panel data, we first show that the number of marriages goes up during the two years preceding a year and that births jump up in a year. Using three micro data sets from China we show that those born in a year are more likely to have a college education, and that they obtain higher scores at the university entrance exam. Similarly, Chinese middle school students have higher test scores if they are born in a year. We show that these results are not because of family background, student self-esteem or students' expectations about their future. We find, however, that the Dragon effect on test scores is eliminated when we account for parents' expectations about their children's educational and professional success. We find that parents of children have higher expectations for their children in comparison to other parents, and that they invest more heavily in their children in terms of time and money. We also show that girls are about six cm shorter than boys, but that this height disadvantage is cut by about half if a girl is born in the year of the and that effect is twice as strong in rural areas. Given that childhood nutrition is related to adolescent height, this suggests that parents may also be investing in girls in terms of nutrition. These results show that even though neither the children nor their families are inherently different from other children and families, the belief in the prophecy of success and the ensuing investment become self-fulfilling.

Their capital has value, too: Exploring parental educational support in low-socioeconomic single-mother families

Parental educational support is a key contributing factor to the educational success of children (Epstein, 2018; Hill &amp; Tyson, 2009; Seginer, 2006). However, educational research has shown that schools tend to engage with single-mother families from a deficit perspective, labelling such parents "uninvolved" and "uncaring" (Hampden-Thompson, 2009; Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2001; Robinson &amp; Werblow, 2012). Often not considered, are the embedded forms of capital present in single-parent families and the ways in which single parents invest in their children's education. In this article, we report on the findings of a qualitative multiple-case study of single-mother families from a South African community. Six single-mother family units were researched for the contributions they made to their children's educational success. Our theoretical framework was informed by Yosso's (2005) model of community cultural wealth. Our findings show that, despite severe societal adversity, these participating mothers invested in their children's educational and emotional well-being by accumulating alternative forms of embedded community cultural wealth. Our findings have relevance for the ways in which schools engage with, and collaborate with, such parent communities to advance positive school-family relationships.