Presenting an indepth examination of 12 working class families to determine what they did that either helped or hindered children in making the transition from basic literacy (the ability to decode written symbols) to advanced literacy (the ability to use writing for the acquisition of knowledge), this report focuses on 12 children, 1 from each family, some of whom were doing well and some badly in school. (These children ranged in age from 10 to 13 (grades 4 to 7); seven were Black and five of Irish heritage; and six were boys and six girls.) In the first chapter, the philosophical and research issues that influenced the research are summarized. This is followed by a summary of findings, a discussion of the theoretical significance of the study, and an outline of the report. Criteria for the selection of families, field procedures, and data analysis are provided in the second chapter, while chapter three provides a profile of a family, examining their relations with the marketplace, with their neighbors, and with their kin. This is followed by a profile of the family's literacy use in the marketplace, in housework, in social networks, in the school, for information and entertainment, and for special purposes. The functional and symbolic constraints of the structuring of literacy use are also discussed. The fourth chapter examines the position of the child within the family. Chapter five provides an analysis of two families doing one homework scene each. The report concludes with a chapter that links the research to other sociological studies. (A profile of one family is appended.) (HOD)