When disadvantaged students attend neighborhood schools, they are handicapped by low expectations and teachers so overworked meeting other student needs that they have little time to teach. Mixing lower- and middle-class students through busing gives the disadvantaged new role models and aspirations and allows teachers to function more…

After arguing that the burdens of environmental policy are carried by the middle and lower classes in the United States, this paper discusses three more socially equitable approaches to dealing with environmental problems. (EB)

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…

A middle-class adolescent peer group was examined, using ethnographic techniques, to describe the group's relationship to adults and to uncover the adult reference group after which the group modeled itself. Although this group was organized to help poor people, it modeled itself after middle-class adult managers. (Author/GDC)

Cognitive style differences exhibited by middle class and working class male and female adolescents were examined. Dimensions of cognitive style measured include: conceptual differentiation, categorizing flexibility, conceptual preference, originality, ideational fluency, flexibility, and category width. (Author/BW)

A survey of attitudes of upper middle class American and Israeli youth reveals pronounced differences. Whereas the Israelis tend to view their society as an extension of their own family and acknowledge their obligations to both, the Americans trust only the family, regarding it as more important than any other social entity. (Author/JM)

Conceptualizes parental involvement in schools from perspectives of 57 (upper middle-class) parents with elementary-age children. Respondents defined parental involvement, rated current school practices for involvement, and suggested methods to increase participation. Meaningful involvement is individualized to family situations and focuses…

Whether traditional gender-role stereotypes still pervade children's judgments of peers was studied with 173 middle-class children aged 7 to 12. Results indicate that performance judgments of a girl who behaves in a stereotypically masculine fashion are positive, but that personality ratings are more negative. (SLD)

In a Fort Collins, Colorado, school district, parents whose children attend alternative schools choose schools for all the right reasons. Unfortunately, only a limited segment of parents exercises a choice. Teachers say alternative schools skim off the most motivated parents and students, leaving the problem children behind. These survey results…

Discusses the Aberdare Committee created to remedy shortcomings arising from a non-intervention policy in Welsh secondary education, eminating from the 1881 Report of the Committee on Intermedicate and Higher Education (Wales). Focuses on three commissions: the Caredon, Taunton, and Devonshire. Discusses the committee outcomes regarding English…

Asked 35 middle-class high school seniors to relate their jobs, or decisions not to work, to social context of employment. Findings suggest that negative stereotype of high school student-worker is not justified. Part-time work appeared to uphold variety of interpretations of work ethic within framework of normative middle-class values. (Author/NB)

Wayland wrote what is arguably the most influential nineteenth-century moral philosophy text. This article examines the Calvinist tradition, from which Wayland diverged; explores his views as they relate to the home and school; and describes his impact on the formation of the middle class of his day. (IAH)

Compared social-linguistic experiences of six early readers (ERs) and six prereading (PRs) matched-age peers in interactions with their middle-class parents. Found that ER parents created an even more enriched language environment for their children than PR parents. Differences on decontextualized language tasks favored ER families, and ERs gave…

Examines the black middle-class response to "The Cosby Show." The study asked about the portrayal of blacks in the media, but did not specifically ask about "The Cosby Show." Results from 100 respondents revealed two significant aspects: that the show renders black problems as irrelevant and that it fosters hope and optimism…

Tests the hypothesis that children in Korean American families who dropped from middle-class to working-class status after immigrating to the United States tend to perceive their mothers as less warm and accepting than do children in families retaining their middle-class status. Results with 44 families suggest the reverse. (SLD)