Parents of gifted children are often faced with challenges as to how to process images, labels, and stereotypes of youth with special abilities. Just as books can provide healing for the troubled soul by reflecting on the stories of people experiencing similar challenges, cinema and video can help examine one's strengths and weaknesses while…

Ellen Wartella, PhD, a leading scholar of the role of media in children's development, responds to questions about the role of media in the lives of very young children. She discusses how technology is having an impact on parents and children and provides some context for how parents and caregivers can make informed decisions about using media…

In response to the February 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, President Donald Trump established the Federal Commission on School Safety to review safety practices and make meaningful and actionable recommendations of best practices to keep students safe. The Commission conducted field visits,…

As use of the Internet becomes more prevalent in society and daily living, there has been increased attention to the risks, especially threats that young people may face. One of these risks is online sexual solicitation, in which an individual contacts a minor over the Internet, generally with the intent of making face-to-face sexual contact.…

This study is one of the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information on the amount and nature of media use among American youth: (1) It includes a large national sample of more than 2,000 young people from across the country; (2) It covers children from ages 8 to 18, to track changes from childhood through the…

Objective: Present US parents' perceptions about factors leading to early intercourse and strategies for overcoming them. Methods: Conducted analysis of eight focus groups with 78 male and female African-American and Hispanic caregivers of fifth-graders and sixth-graders (ages 10-12). Results: Participants gave the following primary reasons for…

Parent and teen MySpace user pairs completed online surveys administered in June (N = 266) and September 2006 (N = 341) to assess relationships between parenting styles and limit setting and monitoring of online behaviors, the prevalence of Internet dangers and pre-teen and teen MySpace behaviors. Cross-comparison measures of MySpace usage,…

Based on four years of experience teaching computers to 8-12 year olds, media scholar Ellen Seiter offers parents and educators practical advice on what children need to know about the Internet and when they need to know it. "The Internet Playground" argues that, contrary to the promises of technology boosters, teaching with computers is…

Parents are instrumental in teaching children to become critical viewers. However, parents should also provide children alternatives to television; the article suggests ways in which to accomplish this. Tips to guide viewing and motivate reading are given. (JL)

Notes the correlation between television-viewing habits and children's level of creativity, aggressiveness, and social skills. Highlights better quality programming, noting that most of it is on cable rather than network television. Cautions against the less controllable factors such as commercials and "teasers" for other programs and movies. (HTH)

Yes We Can: Improving Urban Schools through Innovative Educational Reform is a empirically-based book on urban education reform to not only proclaim that hope is alive for urban schools, but to also produce a body of literature that examines current practices and then offer practical implications for all involved in this arduous task. This book is…

This videotape explores the influence of electronic media on children's cognitive development. Posing the "cyberworld" as both a window to the greater world and a mirror to the students' world, the first part of the video examines electronic media and the brain's response systems. This part notes the brain's two response systems--the…

This booklet was written to provide an understanding of aggression and violence in youth. Its purpose is to help parents, professionals, and other concerned citizens prevent or reduce these potentially dangerous behaviors. The introduction notes that many experts agree that aggression and violence are on the rise in America. The first section of…

Play is essential to children's healthy development and learning, and toys are the tools of children's play. Noting that parents are constantly faced with decisions about what toys to buy and what toys to avoid, this guide is intended to help parents promote their children's creative and constructive play by making informed choices about toys, and…

The mother of a seven-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome describes her feelings as she came to realize that, despite intense early stimulation activities, her son's developmental capabilities were limited. The article also notes that media exposure of the successes of some disabled children sometimes creates unrealistic expectations in parents.…