To assess factors affecting parental relinquishment of infants with Down syndrome, a study was conducted of infants with Down syndrome who were born in Israel during 1979-1983 and 1987-1991. Overall relinquishment rate was 25 percent. Major influencing factors were mother's age, birth order, infant health status, and study periods. (Contains…

Discusses the literature regarding the importance of systemic thinking in school systems and its application to academic problems of students, emphasizing the need for coordination of theory and services between the family system, the school system, and community-based mental health systems. Provides case studies. (JBJ)

Notes that, although a great deal is known about affective relations between mothers and young children and affective expression in marital dyads, relatively little is known about emotional development during adolescence. Briefly discusses the studies presented in this issue that represent an integration of work currently being conducted on affect…

Addresses the crucial role of families in helping students learn, arguing that the success of schooling depends on the contributions of the home and school/home collaborations. Ways to better understand the everyday lives of children living in poverty are illustrated to help schools increase learning opportunities for all children, even when…

Examined the contribution of biological and environmental variables to 11-year-olds' phonological development. Found that temporal lobe (planar) asymmetry, hand preference, family history of reading disability, and SES explained over half the variance in phonological and verbal performance, demonstrating a linear association between cerebral…

Data are used from African American families in impoverished Chicago neighborhoods to address two questions: How well do modeling, supervision, and marital transition hypotheses explain the relationship between family structure and early sexual debut and pregnancy? Do higher levels of social support from parents and neighborhood adults decrease…

A study contrasted the childhood environment of Norwegian adult psychiatric outpatients reporting to have been bullied at school (n=74) with those who were not (n=85). Men who were bullied tended to grow up without biological fathers. Women who were bullied reported higher parental abuse and neglect in childhood. (Contains references.) (CR)

Examines the cross-situational patterns in rural and urban communities at school entry. Results show child behavior at school was heavily influenced by exposure to aggressive models and deviant peer support experienced by children in urban as compared to rural schools. This leads to higher rates of school conduct problems for children in urban…

Investigated the extent to which family environment predicted differences in trajectories of adaptive development in young children with Down syndrome. Found that growth in communication, daily living skills, and socialization domains were predicted by family cohesion and mother/child interaction beyond that predicted by maternal education. Bailey…

Asserts that teachers and schools must look beyond preconceptions and accept the diversity in families today. Urges schools and teachers to examine their attitudes, analyze home and school communication techniques, and accept differing levels of nurturing. Provides suggestions for developing bonds of acceptance in the classroom, and focuses on…

Considers the effects of marital disruption on children and families, using a risk and resilience perspective. Highlights the importance of understanding pathways toward risk and resilience following divorce and how to integrate this research into effective, evidence-based preventive interventions and proactive social policies that foster…

Traditionally the identification of, and treatment for, eating disorders has been based on developmental psychopathology theory and research, thereby emphasizing risk factors and the elimination of maladaptive behaviors. This article seeks to reconceptualize the prevention of, and protective factors for, eating disordered behavior from the…

Educators in a range of schools share tools and strategies for successfully working with youth who have become marginalized from school or are at risk of dropping out. The educators emphasize the importance of personally connecting with their students and nurturing the teenagers' interests. They also discuss the challenges of trying to establish…

Just before the Fourth of July weekend in 1966, the U.S. Office of Education quietly released a report that would shake the beliefs upon which many educators and social reformers had staked their work. Titled "Equality of Educational Opportunity," the mammoth, 737-page study reached the unsettling conclusion that school might not be society's…

Using survey and qualitative data, this study identified emergent themes that remain consistent across or differentiate among reports of women earning their doctoral degree relatively quickly ("early-finishers") and those taking considerably longer ("late-finishers"). Emergent themes included commitment to timely degree completion, faculty…