Apr 6, 2005

"Early Disparities in School Readiness: How do Families Contribute to 
Successful and Unsuccessful Transitions into School?" will be the focus of 
Penn State University's 13th annual Symposium on Family Issues, to be held 
October 13-14, 2005.  The 2005 symposium is innovative, not only for its 
emphasis on family contributions to school readiness, but also for 
integration of psychological, sociological and policy perspectives. The 
intent of the symposium is to better understand disparities in children's 
acquisition of the many inter-related competencies (e.g., executive 
function, language skills, and social skills) that culminate in school 
readiness, paying particular attention to the roles families play in 
exacerbating or minimizing those disparities. Sixteen scholars from major 
universities and institutions will explore the topic from different 
disciplines and encourage discussion from attendees. Lead speakers will 
include George Farkas (Penn State), Susan Landry (U. of Texas Health 
Science Center), Annette Lareau (Temple), and Susan Campbell (U. of 
Pittsburgh). Information and registration at 
http://www.pop.psu.edu/events/symposium or contact Carolyn Scott 
(814)863-6806, css7@psu.edu.