Among 1,077 Puerto Rican male adolescents in New York City, familism (values emphasizing family bonds and obligations) was a powerful contributor to the avoidance of deviance, whereas acculturation was positively associated with participation in interpersonal violence and theft and negatively associated with illicit drug use. The pattern differs…

Presents seven reasons why it is important for health specialist teams to take action supporting the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The article offers guidelines to help parents assist their children in maintaining positive eating, exercise, and self-esteem patterns, noting sensitive intervention is preferable to imposed diets. (SM)

Provides ideas to help parents determine whether their children are spending too much time with electronic media, noting children learn both good and bad from every device they use. Parents are encouraged to offer their children interest, support, and suggestions for alternate ways to spend their time. (SM)

Describes assessment and successful treatment of a preadolescent with erratic toileting behavior and related social skills difficulties. Treatment included monitoring of bowel movements, using a star chart, and applying rewards as positive reinforcement of acceptable behavior. (HTH)

Reports on a survey of high school students in two school systems. Information was obtained on patterns of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, indices of AOD use for grade and gender, and relationships of indices to individual, family, and social competence/adjustment risk factors. (SM)

Uses data from a random sample of 13,250 adolescents. Results show that mother/adolescent bonding and family drug problems have modest, indirect effects on the likelihood of adolescent drug use; father/adolescent bonding, parental monitoring, and family aggression have relatively weak effects on adolescent drug use; and religious students do not…

Conducted content analysis of interview data to determine families' involvement in 100 first graders' literacy development. Identified four categories of involvement: reading at home, reading outside the home, using other literacy activities and materials, and writing activities. Found that many family literacy activities/materials do not…

Reports on the findings of a study of drug and alcohol use among adolescents (N=779) who attended middle schools in a large urban city in the southwest United States. Examines the relationships between substance use, social support, and a variety of other psychosocial factors. Discusses implications of those relationships for human service…

Investigates whether the cognitive style of students with behavior problems are different from children with no reported problems. Considers how students of different styles manifest their problem behaviors. Indicates the cognitive styles differ while the types of behavior problems exhibited, such as verbal disruption and physical aggression,…

Interviews with 41 women from the coalfields of southwestern Virginia and eastern Kentucky indicate that traditional women devoted their lives to their families. Contemporary women who did not attend college identified with their mothers but wanted financial independence. Contemporary women who attended college identified with their fathers but…

Going beyond the "family deficit" perspective, new models for understanding the relationship between home and school begin with literacy practices in the family. This requires understanding of sociocultural influences on school success. Educational practices that understand the complexity of these issues can help create genuine home-school…

Discusses the role of the family and state in paying for the education of children in Russia. Stresses that even though families are spending increasing amounts to pay for educational services this does not erase the need for State investments in the sphere of education. (CMK)

A study involving 27,908 children (age 10) found that children with very low birth weight born to mothers with low maternal education are at high risk of receiving special education services; however, the largest percentage of children receiving special education had the single risk factor of low maternal education. (Author/CR)

Argues that talk is a critical variable in work with struggling readers, contributing to their problem solving and engagement in reading tasks. Speculates about factors that contribute to children's failure: child and family factors, constraints within which teachers and schools operate, and the adversarial nature of the discourse surrounding…

Reviews Pianta and Cox's book, which covers the significance of early school transitions; the ecology of transitions into and through kindergarten; facilitating transitions for children from diverse backgrounds; and implications of the kindergarten transition. Cautions that while the book provides a strong empirical foundation, it does not provide…