Findings show that both family cohesion and parental monitoring predicted positive attitudes toward school, but neither of these family characteristics was related to grade point average. For boys only, the relationship between family cohesion and positive attitudes toward school was stronger when parental monitoring was high. For girls only, the effects of family cohesion and parental monitoring on positive attitudes toward school had a cumulative effect, i.e., girls with both high family cohesion and high parental monitoring were most likely to feel positive toward school. Since studies have shown that positive school engagement is a protective factor against delinquent behavior, this study suggests that the strengthening of inner-city African-American families in terms of cohesion and the monitoring of their children's behavior can help prevent delinquency. Interviews with the youth and their caregivers provided data on family cohesion, parental monitoring, and school engagement. School records provided data on grade point average. 2 figures, 1 table, and 49 references