A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE NASHVILLE COOPERATIVE READING PROJECT DATA IS REPORTED. TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF FAMILY-HOME VARIABLES ON READING ACHIEVEMENT, THE PEABODY CULTURAL OPPORTUNITY SCALE WAS GIVEN TO DISADVANTAGED FIRST GRADERS IN 12 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SERVING THE LOW SOCIOECONOMIC AREAS OF THE COMMUNITY. OBJECTIVE DATA WERE GATHERED ON ROLE MODELS IN THE HOUSEHOLD, THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS, AND ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION. INTELLIGENCE WAS CONTROLLED IN THE ANALYSIS BY USING REGRESSION EQUATION PROCEDURES IN OBTAINING EACH INDIVIDUAL'S STANDARDIZED ACHIEVEMENT SCORE AND BY DIVIDING THE POPULATION INTO INTELLIGENCE CATEGORIES. CHI SQUARE WAS USED TO MEASURE THE EFFECT OF THE THREE FAMILY-HOME VARIABLES ON READING ACHIEVEMENT. RESULTS SHOWED THAT WHILE VARIATIONS IN THE ROLE MODEL ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT DID NOT AFFECT READING ACHIEVEMENT, EDUCATIONAL LEVEL SEEMED TO HAVE THE GREATEST EFFECT. READING ACHIEVEMENT WAS HIGHEST WHEN THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF A SISTER WAS HIGHEST, FOLLOWED BY THE FATHER, THEN THE MOTHER. THE SOURCE OF INCOME RATHER THAN THE AMOUNT SEEMED TO BE MORE IMPORTANT. THESE FINDINGS IMPLY THAT DEPRIVATION COULD PROMOTE OR PREVENT INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPRIVED CHILD, DEPENDING ON THE ATTITUDES AND VALUES OF THE DEPRIVED AND ON THE TRANSMISSION OF THESE IN SOCIALIZATION. (NS)