Research from multiple traditions demonstrates the impact of children’s social environments on their academic motivation, learning, and achievement. The present literature review attempts to better understand the family-school relationship, with a particular emphasis on parental influences on the child’s academic achievement and later career development. This paper focuses on the proximal (parent-child interactions) and distal (familial social/cultural context) dimension. Additionally, an attempt is made to understand the gender differences that are seen in children in their academic preferences and later career choices.