This book explores issues related to the links between families and schools and how they affect children's educational achievement, and is organized as follows: Part 1, titled "Families and Schools: How Can They Work Together To Promote Children's School Success?" contains the following chapters: chapter 1, "Family Involvement in Chidrens' and Adolescents' Schooling" (Jacquelynne S. Eccles and Rena D. Harold); chapter 2, "The Structural Context of Family-School Relations" (Sanford M. Dornbusch and Kristan L. Glasgow); chapter 3, "Parents as Full Partners in Education" (Norris M. Haynes and Michael Ben-Avie); and chapter 4, "Assessing Parent Involvement in Schooling: A Critical Analysis" (Annette Lareau). Part 2, titled "How Do School Processes Affect Children and Their Families?" contains the following chapters: chapter 5, "Schools and Children at Risk" (Karl L. Alexander and Doris R. Entwisle); chapter 6, "Inequality in Educational Achievement: Families Are the Source, but Are Schools a Prophylactic?" (Thomas D. Cook); chapter 7, "Effects of Schooling on Children and Families" (Adam Gamoran); chapter 8, "Schools, Children at Risk, and Suffessful Interventions" (Claude Goldenberg); and chapter 9, "Further Comments on Seasonal Learning" (Doris R. Entwisle and Karl L. Alexander). Part 3, titled "How is Changing Family Structure Affecting School Outcomes?" consists of: chapter 10, "Family Change and Student Achievement: What We Have Learned, What It Means for Schools" (Nicholas Zill); chapter 11, "Changes in Families and Trends in Schooling" (Robert D. Mare); chapter 12, "Family Composition, Family Interaction, and Children's Academic and Behavior Problems: Interpreting the Data" (Elizabeth G. Menaghan); and chapter 13, "Toward a Balanced View of Family Change" (Fiane Scott-Jones). Part 4 titled: "Building Research and Policy Agendas: New Directions" contists of: chapter 14, "Perspectives and Previews on Research and Policy for School, Family, and Community Partnerships" (Joyce L. Epstein); chapter 15, "New National Directions in Research and Policy" (Oliver C. Moles); chapter 16, "Research and Practical Application for School, Family, and Community Partnerships" (Gary M. Lloyd); chapter 17, "Family Diversity, Intellectual Inequality, and Academic Achievement Among American Children (Daniel T. Lichter); and chapter 18, "Family-School Links: An Overview" (Karen L. Bierman). Includes and author index and a subject index. (SD)