THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE APPARENTLY UNBREACHABLE SOCIOECONOMIC GAP BETWEEN UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES AND WELFARE FAMILIES WHO LIVE ON ONE BLOCK IN THE WEST SIDE OF MANHATTAN. IN THIS CONTEXT THE ARTICLE CHALLENGES THE MIDDLE-CLASS ORIENTATION OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE "PHI DELTA KAPPAN," VOLUME 45, NUMBER 2,…

REPORTED IS A STUDY OF THE ASPIRATIONS OF 202 NEGRO MOTHERS FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S FUTURE. AN INTERVIEW SCHEDULE WAS ADMINISTERED BY TWO NEGRO WOMEN TO FOUR SUBGROUPS OF LOW AND HIGH STATUS MOTHERS. SUBGROUPS WERE DEFINED ON THE BASIS OF EDUCATION AND NUMBER OF CHILDREN. THE ASPIRATION OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE EXAMINED WITHIN THREE CATEGORIES--(1)…

This paper explores the hypothesis that parents consider preschool education to be more important for boys than for girls. To test this hypothesis, the following questions were examined: (1) Are boys disproportionately enrolled in nursery school? and (2) Do parents emphasize different reasons for enrolling boys and girls? The effect of social…

Examines ways in which current United Kingdom school-choice policies interact with parental pressures on their children to achieve excellence and how these pressures affect the emotional health of their middle- and working-class children as they make the transition from primary to secondary school. Finds serious emotional consequences (exam…

This study was conducted to observe the effects of social class on the interaction of mothers and their 12-week-old infants. Data on the infants' cognitive and attentive behavior was also obtained. Each of 32 white and black infants from five different levels of social class was observed at home for two full hours of waking time. Observed infant…

Interviews with low-income parents revealed that they were aware of the class character of local schools and believed that high-income schools were superior. Ninety-four percent favored social class school desegregation, believing that their children would thereby obtain a better education and better preparation for social interaction in adult…

A prospective study in the area of developmental psychopathology and depression was conducted to determine whether an additive pathological effect upon offspring existed when psychosocial disadvantage and maternal depression were combined. Differences in psychiatric epidemiology and psychological outcome were investigated in 27 children of latency…

Summarizes an investigation designed to demonstrate the utility of selective recall as a partial index of a preferred attitude. The experiment, which dealt with maternal attitudes on three child-rearing themes, revealed social class differences in the selective recall of information related to the importance of physical affection and…

Describes insights gleaned from informal conversations with 27 parents actively involved in their children's schooling. Stereotypes do not apply. Although wealthier white parents receive more encouragement to participate in decision making and school-related activities, they sometimes support working- class/minority causes and favor school…

The purpose of the present investigation is to assess social class and race differences in the use of reinforcement by mothers and children. The general hypotheses underlying this approach is the expectation of a functional similarity between social class and race effects on the use of reinforcements by mothers and children. The subjects were 109…

Examines the attitudes of a sample of parents of ninth grade students in a large midwestern city. Finds that parents strongly approve of youth work in general, and their children's jobs in particular. More "advantaged" parents would prefer that their children obtain paid jobs at an earlier age. (FMW)

Scores on the Parental Attitudes Research Instrument and on Rotter's Internality-Externality Scale were compared for 28 lower class black mothers of high risk infants and 34 mothers of same-age infants from the general population of a Southern University town. (GO)

Investigated 40 working-class and 40 middle-class parents' beliefs about the meaning of schooling by conducting in-depth interviews. Results indicated that middle-class parents tended to value schooling more for the credentials schools offered, whereas working class parents tended to value schooling more for the learning opportunities (applied and…

Investigates vocabulary acquisition in the context of joint picture-book reading in mother-infant dyads. Infants aged 17 to 22 months and their mothers, 20 middle-class and 20 lower-class dyads, were observed. In both groups interaction foucused on the eliciting or the provision of information. Results indicate several social class differences in…

Low income parents from diverse ethnic groups and geographical locations express their hopes to be directly related to the success their children can achieve in school. This paper considers ways in which the standpoint of low income parents might be recognized and respected in public schools. There are many obstacles that stand in the way of…