Rights are statements of claim. The very conception of human rights cannot be understood without reference to the aggressive disposition to invade, violate, or override them. When socially sensitive leaders rise to the acceptance of these rights,... gradually such expressions of social conviction are either set aside due to some less idealistic…

What is the motivation to fill each waking minute of the day with activities and events and to excel at everything? Are we trying to create the "superkid," defined as "a child pressured by parents and by society to do too much too soon?" Are parents overcompensating because they feel guilty about the time they spend working or away from home?…

This article focuses on the links between health and education in children's development, worldwide. While connections flow in both directions, the primary aim of this article is to highlight specifically the impact of health on education prospects. The dramatic consequences of health status on children's educational opportunities suggest that…

Discusses the question of whether reading should be formally taught at the kindergarten level, arguing that reading skills should not be introduced at this age because children need formal time to experiment without the risk of failure. (RH)

Discusses the potential benefits of having pets for self-care children. Researchers suggest that companion animals can lower blood pressure, show up high on a list of children's helpers and indirectly increase feelings of safety. (RJC)

Uses the authors' experiences in Texas to suggest some strategies that teachers and parents can use to affect the state legislative process. (MP)

Maintains that priorities generated by forces which affect children--technology, society, home and family, school, economic resources--need to be assessed. Assessment should focus on how priorities for children are established; the intensity of priorities; how priorities might be appropriately applied; and how priorities can be effectively…

An example of cross-age teaching is described in this account of a fourth grade class' adoption of a kindergarten class. (AJ)

Presents recommendations for parents and educators who want to affect state policies and legislation for children. (MP)

Maintains that the priorities parents set for their children are influenced by the parents' own needs and ways in which those needs have been met, and that priorities set by parents may be inadequate for meeting their children's needs. Parents must work towards balancing priorities for children in such a way that both parents' and children's needs…

Discusses how practitioners and external groups can help promote child-centered care for infants and young children. (CI)

Highlights the 1982 International Colloquy of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, which was entitled "The Right to Be a Child." Children's basic needs were seen as the rights to food, to play, and to peace. (RH)

Examines factors contributing to changes in childhood. Care and supervision of children has declined, with survival skills substituting for protection, early concern with emotional issues, and premature sexual initiation. Parents rationalize abandoning authority as increasing children's independence. They deprive children of childhood,…