Compared gain scores of: (1) a group of middle-class children in day care whose parents augmented the day care curriculum at home; and (2) a group who received only the day care curriculum. The control group did not receive the curriculum. Groups exposed to the curriculum demonstrated greatest gains. (BB)

Critics, particularly the Reagan administration, have succeeded in focusing attention on institutions' spending habits, but economic and social conditions--not tuition inflation--are creating society's anxiety over college affordability. Four trends are at work: middle-income fears, college as gatekeeper, "portfolio-building" students,…

Considers Matthew Arnold's views on comparative education, the inadequacy of middle-class education in England, the need for a modern society characterized by "the intellectual maturity of man himself," the intellectual weakness and lack of "modernity" of his English contemporaries, and the role of state schools in effecting…

Using the Paternal Involvement in Childcare Index, examined father involvement in caregiving and the socialization of preschool-age children in 40 Thai and 24 American families. American fathers were more likely than Thai fathers to be involved in child care and the socialization of their children. (MDM)

This study compared literacy knowledge in preschoolers from low- and middle-class homes. Students and parents completed assessments and questionnaires about literacy activities. Results indicated that children from low-income homes were at a disadvantage in understanding written language. Literacy development also related to amount of early…

Views school readiness as an ideological issue affecting American society and dominated by middle-class white values, which results in different treatment for middle-class students and "deficient students." Advocates moving away from a two-tiered system of education and toward a more democratic form of schooling that recognizes multiple…

Explains the roots and meaning of Kwanzaa and discusses this holiday in terms of its multicultural efforts, claims regarding the importance of ethnic identity, and its commercialization. It explores Kwanzaa as a middle-class phenomenon, its effects on multiculturalism in the public schools, and whether it is a positive step for blacks or is simply…

This article reports on efforts of various private colleges to attract students, including admission of more students, large tuition discounts, achievement-based scholarships, and loans which convert to grants if academic achievement is high. Efforts are intended to attract more middle-income students away from the cheaper public institutions. (DB)

Examined the degree to which African-American mothers took a parent- versus child-oriented approach to disciplinary practices. Found associations of maternal education and age with mothers' use of physical punishment; mothers' age and concerns about child victimization with mothers' use of social control; and maternal education with restrictive…

Examines the attitudes toward schooling of middle-class, college-educated mothers in order to discern their curricular and pedagogical preferences, particularly as related to progressive education. Indicates a lack of support for progressive forms of schooling among its supposed proponents; middle-class, college-educated parents espouse typically…

As the United States grows more ethnically diverse, traditional school-integration tools are becoming less potent. Restoration of Horace Mann's common school represents the single best way to promote equal educational opportunity. Controlled public-school choice (via specialty schools) is the best way to achieve socioeconomic integration.…

A study of the impact of the Hope Scholarship, a federal program that gives families of college students a tax benefit, has had in Georgia found that the college attendance rate has increased. However, the gap between blacks and whites and between those from high- and low-income families has widened. (JOW)

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…

Considers discussion-based parents' forums at two British secondary schools. Each school has attracted an elite group of white, middle-class professional women with limited decision-making power that remains unconnected to the wider parent body. It is difficult for controversial parental issues to be heard. (Contains 39 references.) (MLH)

A longitudinal study of 94 low-socioeconomic-status rural Appalachian and 67 middle-class Pennsylvania mothers with infants found that, contrary to expectations, low-SES rural mothers were comparable to middle-class mothers on maternal self-efficacy, significantly higher on responsive attitude to infant crying, and comparable or better on…