Compares three Ohio districts with national trends to identify rural school characteristics that foster extracurricular activity participation. Surveys students, teachers, and community members. Reports student participation levels. Examines attraction and pressure responses, parental influence, at-risk student involvement, and urban-rural…

Study examined the psychodynamic pathways and social processes which place children of alcoholics at risk. Assessments of 63 adolescents in families with at least 1 alcoholic parent were compared to a control group taken from non-alcoholic families. Differences were found in anxiety variables, self-image variables, and aggression variables. (RJM)

Although all African-American children are educable, parent involvement significantly affects their children's educational success. Dilemmas that constrain parental educational choice and involvement with children's learning create barriers to mobilization for expansion of high quality educational programs to greater segments of this population.…

Investigated emotional and facial expressivity in infants who failed to thrive and normal infants who were videotaped in social and cognitive contexts. Although differences in emotional expressivity were not found, infants who failed to thrive displayed more negative effects and used their lower faces less often to express emotion. (Author/BB)

Maintains that early childhood educators can help the South's children increase their degree of literacy by demonstrating that literacy is a lifelong process; by supporting children's families in their literacy efforts; and by becoming an advocate for excellent early childhood education and care. (BB)

Investigated whether academic orientations in the home and school serve as a challenge or a pressure in the development of preschoolers. Subjects were 56 4- to 5-year-old prekindergarten children and their mothers. Although correlations were modest, findings suggested that children may experience early academic and didactic orientations as more of…

Summarizes recent ERIC documents on interpersonal competence among preschool and kindergarten children. (BB)

Describes home writing activities of six-year-old students in a Massachusetts home-classroom study, noting how parents contributed to writing development. Students received "The Writing Box," filled with writing materials, for use at home and school. The combination of parental support and the Writing Box facilitated children's…

Reports on a longitudinal study of four toddlers and the relationship of the development of moral awareness to maternal communications. Concludes that a 17-18-month period is a crucial transition period and calls for research into the relationship between emotional development and moral awareness. (CFR)

In production-function studies, inputs (like teacher salaries) trump inputs contributing directly to educational output (like books or instructional materials). Educators prefer inputs that benefit them. Parents have been insufficiently strong on behalf of books. Increasing parent influences over expenditure allocations might increase schools'…

Investigated parenting as a protective process for school success in African-American 6- to 11-year olds from homeless families. Found that close parent/child relationships and high parent involvement in the child's education were associated with academic achievement and positive school behavior. Parent intellectual functioning, educational level,…

Studied influence of close friends, parents, and individual characteristics on adolescent drug use. Found similarity across European-, African-American, and Chinese adolescents in high-sensation-seeking and low-authoritative parenting associated with higher rates of drug use. Close friends had influence on Chinese and European Americans.…

Analyzed individual developmental trajectories of disruptive behavior problems (DBP) between 3.5 and 6.0 years for children of adolescent mothers. Found that DBP decreased with age. Boys and children of more depressed/anxious mothers exhibited higher levels of DBP. Maternal negative control was associated with level of DBP and change rate, and…

A study of 60 preschool, kindergarten, and first grade teachers found significant relationships among teachers' beliefs about how children learn; their views on the goals of early childhood education; their positions on policies related to school entry, testing, and retention; their satisfaction with current practices, and pressures for change;…

A study of 19 northern Michigan Ojibwa families found that children's academic and social performance in elementary school was positively affected by mother's traditional Ojibwa values, particularly sharing, other-centeredness, harmony with nature, noninterference, and focus on extended family. Father's values did not significantly affect…