The ecological perspective suggests that distal socioeconomic status (SES) actually affects young children via the more proximate influences of parental beliefs and the quality of their home environments. A diverse sample of 189 kindergarten children, their families, and their schools provided data on SES indices, parental beliefs, the quality of…

Logistic regression analyses were employed using a nationally representative sample of high school seniors to determine how student, socioeconomic status, home environment, community, and school variables relate to academic talent. Students identified as talented scored at or above the 95th percentile on a composite academic achievement test.…

This report presents the results of the largest survey and testing program for students in home schools to date. In Spring 1998, 20,760 K-12 home school students in 11,930 families were administered either the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) or the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP), depending on their current grade. The parents…

This study explores, from a critical-theory perspective, the relationship of power among stakeholders in either a mandated or voluntary elementary-school-site decision-making body (SSDMB). The purpose is to describe, explain, and clarify complexities regarding the influence exerted by parents on the decision-making process in two selected…

This study was conducted to gather more definitive information about aliens who were newly legalized under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Two groups of eligible legal aliens were interviewed in Florida: those residing in the United States before 1982 (PRE-82s) and special agricultural workers (SAWs). The 1,300 subjects were asked…

This monograph represents a collection of reports generated by a state-wide collaborative research project begun in 1982. The reports, based on information collected by a literature review and two surveys of representative samples of migrant workers in New York State, systematically analyze relationships between migrant workers' health conditions,…

This report provides an overview of the Collaborative Study of Children with Special Needs, documenting the range of health and special education services provided for disabled students under the Education For All Handicapped Children Act. The study included surveys and interviews with parents of 2,000 disabled school children in five large United…

This bulletin explores the social, economic, and demographic trends that have contributed to the changing structure of the American family. Sections of the document discuss: (1) definitions of household and family; (2) types of families, including married couples with and without children and single-parent families; (3) living arrangements of…

A 1988 study that examined the economic performance of 22,091 graduates in 1984 of 14 vocational programs in Ohio used federal income tax records. Twelve of the programs with 20,557 graduates were at the secondary level, and 2 with 1,534 graduates were at the associate level. The incomes of vocational graduates were compared to income of…

The old "nature versus nurture" argument has resurfaced in a new guise--the role of inherent ability or of education as the source of skill and the reason for achievement. Research shows that even one additional year of schooling raises a person's wages. Even when the relationship among education, productivity, and wages appears obvious, there is…

This document presents a study that views working mothers as primary or co-equal earners, who need wages sufficient to support their families. The study hypothesized that the complex socioeconomic trends of the last two decades have had more of an impact on working mothers' wages than have their specific family relations. The study employed a…

A 5-year followup study was conducted of students who had participated in the 1987 Every Secondary Student Survey of the Toronto (Ontario, Canada) public schools. In the 1987-88 school year, 4,077 Toronto students started grade 9. By the followup year, 56 percent graduated with diplomas or completed 30 or more secondary credits. Eleven percent had…

Against the background of recent radical changes in the Canadian economy, this issue of the Canadian journal "Transition" examines the question of parents' concerns for their children's economic futures. "Changes in Family Incomes and Labour Market Participation in Post-War Canada" (David Ross and Clarence Lochhead) charts…

The career intentions of a group of students enrolled in the first year of the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood) at Palmerston North College of Education in New Zealand were studied. The research was prompted by a concern that most students aspired to work in kindergartens and few students were choosing to enter child care occupations. A…

This collection of papers reports the research done in the Department of Agricultural Education at the Ohio State University during the years 1986 to 1990. The studies, which provide information about rural schools and rural students; are as follows: (1) "Aspirations of Rural Secondary Students in Ohio" (J. David McCracken and Kerry S.…