The authors present a test of a longitudinal model that examined the effects of partnership-based family competency training on academic success, in a general population; they provide the details of their research methodology and outcomes.
An expanding body of research suggests an important role for parent or family competency training in children's social-emotional learning and related school success. This article summarizes a test of a longitudinal model examining partnership-based family competency training effects on academic success in a general population. Specifically, it examines indirect effects of the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) on school engagement in eighth grade and academic success in the 12th grade, through direct ISFP effects on intervention-targeted outcomes (parenting competencies and student substance-related risk) in sixth grade. The authors randomly assigned 22 rural schools to either ISFP or a minimal-contact control group and collected data from 445 families. Following examination of the equivalence of the measurement model across group and time, a structural equation modeling approach was used to test the hypothesized model and corresponding hypothesized structural paths. Significant effects of the ISFP were found on proximal intervention outcomes, intermediate school engagement, and the academic success of high school seniors. Publisher Abstract Provided