Two samples of sixth-grade students were followed over time to examine relations of number of reciprocated friendships, peer acceptance, and group membership to academic achievement. In both samples, group membership was the most consistent predictor of grades over time. In Study 2, prosocial behavior, antisocial behavior, and emotional distress were examined as processes that might explain these significant links between peer relationships and academic achievement. Results of longitudinal analyses support a conclusion that aspects of peer relationships are related to classroom achievement indirectly, by way of significant relations with prosocial behavior. Future research might benefit from more in-depth analyses of the functions of adolescent peer relationships and the processes by which they influence orientations toward social and academic competence at school.

In this 2-year longitudinal study (n ϭ 242), the authors examined relations of having a reciprocated friend and characteristics of a reciprocated friend to students' social and academic adjustment to middle school. With respect to having a friend, 6th-grade students without friends showed lower levels of prosocial behavior, academic achievement, and emotional distress than did students with reciprocated friendships. Not having a friend in 6th grade also was related to emotional distress 2 years later. Evidence that motivational processes mediate relations between friends' and individuals' prosocial behavior was obtained. For students with reciprocated friendships (n ϭ 173), friends' prosocial behavior predicted change in individuals' prosocial behavior in 8th grade by way of changes in goals to behave prosocially. Implications for studying friendship influence in middle school are discussed.

Two samples of sixth-grade students were followed over time to examine relations of number of reciprocated friendships, peer acceptance, and group membership to academic achievement. In both samples, group membership was the most consistent predictor of grades over time. In Study 2, prosocial behavior, antisocial behavior, and emotional distress were examined as processes that might explain these significant links between peer relationships and academic achievement. Results of longitudinal analyses support a conclusion that aspects of peer relationships are related to classroom achievement indirectly, by way of significant relations with prosocial behavior. Future research might benefit from more in-depth analyses of the functions of adolescent peer relationships and the processes by which they influence orientations toward social and academic competence at school.

This study was designed to, first, train parent-child advocates serving homeless parents and their children (birth-three) in providing one-on-one early intervention to facilitate healthy parent-child interactions and, second, evaluate the impact of training on the quality of parent-child interactions in the intervention setting. Four advocates were trained over a 20-week period. During the first 10-week training phase, advocates observed project staff members (trainers) interacting with clients in the advocate's caseload and received training on specific interaction components. During the second 10-week phase, trainers observed and gave feedback to the newly trained advocates who implemented the learned strategies with six referred clients. All parent-child advocates reported increases (from pre-to posttraining) in knowledge and competence level about ways to provide support to parents, knowledge of children's early interactive behaviors, and ability to provide feedback to parents to promote the parent-child relationship. Observations of parent-child advocate behavior with mothers during intervention sessions also revealed changes between pre-and posttraining: Advocates increased their use of positive, contingent, and instructive feedback to parents about their interactions with their young children. Finally, the mother's behavior changed from pre-to postintervention; mothers receiving intervention became more contingent, social-emotional growth fostering, and stimulating in their interactions with their children. The results and the need for further research are discussed.During the last 2 decades, an increasing emphasis on the importance of promoting parent-child relationships in intervention efforts with high-risk families has been noted