The report, Fathers' involvement in their children's education, claims that although greater involvement is associated with better educational outcomes for children, fathers are much less likely than mothers to be involved in children's learning.
Report author Rebecca Goldman said, 'Fathers tend to prefer practical hands-on activities with their children, such as information technology and sport, as opposed to too much discussion.'
The report urges family learning providers to adopt a 'whole organisation'
approach with schools and other providers. It includes 13 successful case studies of projects including 'It's a Man Thing!', a fathers' reading project in Coventry, and a 'Super Dads' project in Rhondda, Wales, that offers fathers-only groups to discuss education issues.
The report can be ordered at www.nfpi.org/data/publications.