Grandparents in Education Project

The research strongly suggests that family involvement in education is vital to a child\u27s academic achievement (Epstein, 1987; Zill, 1996). The Grandparent in Education Project goes beyond the parents and into the previous generation of grandparents. In many families grandparents have played a key role in children\u27s lives. Today the numbers of grandparents that help raise or are full-time guardians to children are on the rise (Bafile, 1999). It is a logical connection to include them in today\u27s educational environment. Another important component is technology and the current role it plays in society. Digital media is continuing to influence communication and instruction in the classrooms, much like print has since the time of Plato (Rose \u26 Meyer, 1994). Future literacy instruction will likely include a variety of on-line resources (Martinez \u26 McGee, 2000). By integrating technology, literacy, and grandparents, the Grandparent in Education Project helps bridge the generation gap between past and present literacy practices. This project consists of grandparents or adopted grandparents actively participating in the educational lives of children. Past intergenerational classroom projects such as Grandparent Pen Pals (Smith, 1995) and Senior Pals (Jobe, 1999) have been very successful. The Grandparent Project extends these single project ideas into an entire year of grandparent involvement projects