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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.