By the time children enter kindergarten, significant socioeconomic and racial gaps in academic achievement exist (Coley, 2002; Rouse, Brooks-Gunn, & Mclanahan, 2005). Kindergarten is considered to be a pivotal point of educational transition, as academic achievement upon kindergarten entry is associated with subsequent academic success (Claessens, Duncan, & Engel, 2009; Hair, Halle, Terry-Humen, Lavelle, & Calkins, 2006). Although parents' socioeconomic status and level of education are related to their children's early achievement, home-based parental involvement during early childhood also contributes to children's school readiness (Rouse et al., 2005). Taylor, Clayton, and Rowley (2004) offer a model of academic socialization which suggests that parents' beliefs about schooling influence parenting practices, both of which contribute to children's transition to elementary school. The current study tests the theory that parents' school readiness beliefs influence parenting practices, which in turn influence children's academic achievement during the transition to elementary school. The impact of academic socialization on children's achievement trajectories in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge was examined using latent growth curve modeling. Parents' school readiness beliefs predicted children's beginning academic achievement and growth over time. Parents' transition practices partially mediated the relationship between their own readiness beliefs and children's beginning academic achievement and growth over time. The findings broaden our understanding of home-based parental involvement during early childhood by illuminating the inherent connection between parents' school readiness beliefs, parenting practices, and children's early academic achievement during the transition to elementary school.
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