This paper presents the impacts of a parent intervention program on the academic performance and classroom behavior of their children. The participants of the study were either first or second grade students. There were three groups of participants: Experimental Group 1 (EG1 - 29 children whose fathers participated in the intervention program along with the children's teachers); Experimental Group 2 (EG2 - 36 children whose mothers participated in the intervention program along with the children's teachers); and Control Experimental Group (CG - 34 children, whose parents did not participate in the intervention program, and the children's teachers). Before and after the intervention program, the children were evaluated using the Academic Achievement Test (AAT) and their teachers completed an open-ended questionnaire as well as the teacher's version of the Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS-T). In comparison with the pre-test, in the post-test the children in the EG1 and EG2 (but not in the CG) obtained: (a) higher overall scores in the AAT and in the reading sub-test; (b) more positive results in the SSRS-T; and (c) were rated by their teachers as presenting a greater number of positive attributes and a smaller number of negative attributes.
Intervention program; Academic achievement; Behavior problems; Transition phase; Parent involvement
