This Issue Brief is based on telephone interviews of 21 state policymakers to discuss the salient education issues in their states and their views on arts education. Six state senators, eight state representatives, one state board of education member, two deputy commissioners of education, three current state superintendents and one former state…

Growth curve modelling was used to examine developmental trajectories of sociometric and perceived popularity across eight years in adolescence, and the effects of gender, overt aggression, and relational aggression on these trajectories. Participants were 303 initially popular students (167 girls, 136 boys) for whom sociometric data were…

An instrument to measure teachers' instructional practices, the Instructional Practice Questionnaire, was developed and validated in three phases. The questionnaires focused on three domains of instructional practices: cognitive, interpersonal, and interpersonal. First, an initial questionnaire was developed for a pilot study, and data were…

A powerful means to understand young children's normative development in context is to examine their everyday activities. The daily activities of 79 children (3 years old) were observed, for 20 hr each, in their usual settings. Children were selected from 4 cultural groups: European American and African American (Greensboro, United States), Luo…

This article explores one teacher education program's experiment in "turning the souls" of its students to help them understand and care deeply about issues of race and social justice, including issues of environmental sustainability. The Putney Graduate School of Teacher Education (1950-1964), a small "reconstructionist"…

Two studies addressed the normative aspects of attachments to mothers and fathers in middle childhood. Using both cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons, we tested the hypothesis that children show no changes in perceptions of availability of attachment figures across the later middle childhood years, but do utilize attachment figures less…

Children with autism have poor pretend play abilities, which greatly affects their social skill development. This intervention technique, using an adult partner, describes how a guided story and role-play format enhanced abilities of pretence and the understanding of social roles in a ten-year-old, verbal boy with autism. By having an everyday…

While educators in gifted education and general education appear to share many goals, there are inadequacies in the implementation of complex educational practices that meet the needs of gifted students in general education classrooms and the goals of educational reform. This paper presents a theoretical framework, Teaching for Intellectual and …

This paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding individual development as it relates to the larger issue of intercultural competence and prejudice reduction. A hierarchical model of the multidimensional self-concept is presented in which self-concept encompasses academic, physical, social, and cultural identities. The essence of the…

This paper examines some of the South Western Pacific Island nations and considers their economic and social development and the ways in which education can play a role in future development. Excluding Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand, the south-western part of the Pacific is home to 20 small nations. This paper focuses on five of…

Papers in this volume explore indicators of children's well-being in the following areas: cross-cutting issues; population, family, and neighborhood; and social development and problem behaviors. The first section includes: (1) "Potential and Problems in Developing Indicators on Child Well-Being from Administrative Data" (Robert M.…

This study explored the effects of family background variables on coping styles, and the contribution of coping styles and locus of control to the overall adjustment of older adolescents. The objectives of this study were to develop a Canadian adaptation of the Seiffge-Krenke Adolescent Coping Style Scale; to explore the influences of family and…

Developed as a companion volume to "The Play's the Thing," this book defines and analyzes the concept of master player based on videotaped observations of preschool children at play. An in-depth discussion reveals the multi-faceted nature of play, individual differences in both teachers' and children's styles, and the complexity of…

Peer relationships represent a strong determinant in the development of prosocial behavior. This study compared the relationship of two sociometric methods (a peer nomination and a peer assessment technique) with parent and teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors. A peer nomination technique was used to determine the social status…

Various definitions of gender identity have ranged from recognition of one's biological sex to an individual's sense of masculinity or femininity. For the purpose of this paper, which examines some of the theoretical approaches to the subject, gender identity will be defined as "the degree to which individuals are 'aware' of and accept their…