The Circle of Courage philosophy encourages thoughts about the importance of courage in the lives of children and young people--the courage to face what life offers and the resilience to handle life's challenges. Belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity, the four areas identified by the Circle of Courage, are pathways to help young people…

In this article, the author explores the attempts by academic theorists to replace the conception of marriage as a "natural" institution with the idea that marriage is defined by the state, and is therefore open to whatever transformations the state may choose to impose. This claim, which began in law schools and philosophy departments,…

Argues that the Black community should be viewed as a complex of family and kin networks that support the survival and function of the Black family in a racially discriminatory society. Discusses the roles of male and female networks and the Black church. (FMW)

Reviews services provided to 120 children (62 experimental and 58 control) by state welfare agencies. Finds that, over six years, children in the experimental groups required less supervision time, lived at home longer, and were in less-restrictive placements than those in the control group. (Author/JDM)

Presents the "Strengths of Black Families" of R. B. Hill (1972) as a paradigm for understanding family behavior. Introduces the practice approach to these strengths in the work of E. Hall and G. King (1982) that is effective for developing family intervention strategies related to social and economic problems. (SLD)

This study analyzes structural forces affecting state patterns of parental presence within grandparent-grandchild coresidence by testing demographic, social change, policy environment, and social problems models. The project combines published state-level data with the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Census Public Use Microdata Samples. While factors…