Suggests that intellectual ability is a stronger determinant of academic success than family income, parental education, or socioeconomic status. Maintains that familial influence plays an important role in academic achievement but questions the specifics of that relationship. Includes statistical information on grade variation, siblings, and…

Demonstrates how information in the cumulative school file is a rich resource for understanding the patterns of achievement and underachievement among gifted students. High and moderative achievers and moderate and extreme underachievers (n=153) were compared on information found in the school file. Results show differences between achievers and…

Data from national sample of 3- to 16-year-olds show that lower test scores and increased behavior problems of children of younger mothers resulted from family background rather than maternal age. For nonfirstborns, maternal age at first birth, not at child's birth, influenced test scores. Disadvantage of children born to younger mothers was…

A 20-year follow-up study of 41 individuals with learning disabilities revealed attributes that differentiated the successful from the unsuccessful group. Some themes discussed include the critical influence of the learning disability across the entire lifespan, differences in participants' family functioning, and differences in participants'…

Socioeconomic status is strongly related to student learning by shaping the family culture. Strong family cultures provide children with intellectual, social, and emotional capacities that greatly improve their chances of school success. The wider community also contributes to the capacities needed for school success. Therefore, a variety of…

Fifty-two Indigenous adults in Northern Territory (Australia) who were returning to education reflected on their earlier experiences in school and on factors that contributed to their motivation to stay in school or drop out early. Factors included family support and family problems, influence of friends, problems with other students, and good and…

Studied impact of family background, parental attitudes, peer support, and adolescents' attitudes and behavior on academic achievement of adolescents from immigrant families. Found that first- and second-generation students received higher mathematics and English grades than peers from native families; the strong educational emphasis by students,…

Analyzes the effect of certain family processes on adolescents' self-reported delinquency and investigates whether self-esteem and locus of control mediate these effects. Results indicate that parental discipline style predicts self-reported delinquency. Also, a link between positive family relations and high self-esteem among males emerged. (RJM)

A study involving 574 children (ages 5-17) who received mental health services examined whether caregiver variables predicted child mental health service utilization patterns, particularly caregiver strain. Results found caregiver strain to be associated with the combination of services used, sequencing of services, gaps in care, and cost of…

Case studies of two academically gifted and talented African American male college students are presented to highlight the importance of relationships with faculty and peers and the value of being connected to family. Factors influencing college selection and self-perception are discussed, as well as practical implications. (Contains references.)…

The play and language behavior of mothers with (n=49) and without (n=49) specific reading disabilities was investigated during play with their 14-month-old children. Typically reading mothers produced significantly more symbolic play and language in play interactions with their children than did the mothers with reading disabilities. (Contains…

A father relates his family's efforts to provide early stimulation to a son diagnosed with cerebral palsy and visual impairments. As the boy developed, he listened to audiotape recordings of music and nursery rhymes, explored household objects, watched television, played computer games, and was eventually enrolled in a mainstreamed kindergarten.…

Presents personal observations of cultural differences regarding the family, time, sex role conventions, and the process of being and becoming among children and parents in Licodia Eubea, Sicily. Supports increased understanding of students' cultural heritages and differences on the part of American elementary school teachers in multicultural…

Reports on a study which assessed the long-term consequences of prenatal and perinatal stress and documented the effects of adverse early rearing conditions on children's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. Concludes that competence and confidence can result under adverse circumstances if children experience security in their lives.…

Uses psychoanalytic and family systems theory to explore the following: (1) how college matriculation for first-generation college students is linked to multi-generational family dynamics; and (2) how these students reconcile (or do not reconcile) the often conflicting requirements of family membership and educational mobility. (Author/BJV)