A survey of Hispanic American students leaving college found significant differences between dropouts and those dismissed for academic performance. Familial values and demands and other extra-academic variables exerted considerable pressure on individual students. Institutional assumptions in Hispanic student retention need to be challenged and…

Suggests that public school education in the last 50 years has been altered most dramatically by the interstate highway system and no-fault divorce. Blames the highway system for destroying the sense of community and capacity for delayed gratification and challenge. Argues that no-fault divorce has resulted in loss of family values and…

Addresses the importance of family-school collaboration, with emphasis on the changing nature of families in the United States; the understanding and practice of collaboration wherein all of the parties are equal partners; exemplary family-school collaborative models; and implications for practitioners. (SM)

The article examines the social/emotional development of children of substance abusers and relates it to their behaviors at school, offering an alternative perspective for understanding their school behaviors and for helping them. Several implications for teacher education are included. (SM)

Aspects of a theoretical model of the socialization of ethnic identity were tested for 45 6- to 10-year-old Mexican-American children and their mothers. As predicted, socialization indices functioned as a mediator of the influence of ethnic family background on children's ethnic identity. (SLD)

Investigated the relationships among mathematics achievement, affect, and home background for Hong Kong students (n=1766) in grades 7-13. Achievement was most closely related to academic and nonacademic self-concepts and attitudes toward mathematics, and the latter was most influenced by self- and parental expectations. (LDR)

Social support present in the lives of youths at risk of school failure is explored. Who provides each of eight types of support, and the effects on school performance, are examined. Adults are major sources of social support for these students. Results show that parents and adult caretakes are main sources of social support. Implications for…

Compares adolescents from East Germany who experienced an educational system offering little choice with adolescents from West Germany who experienced more leeway to investigate career maturity. East German adolescents reported more career maturity. Person-related variables predicted career maturity in both groups; family and peer context were…

Analysis of data on approximately 14,000 individuals in 43 Mexican villages examined how gender relations and expectations differentiate male and female patterns of Mexico-to-U.S. migration. Education and migration were related positively for women but negatively for men. Age, marital status, and social networks also had differential effects on…

A study of 154 Head Start children with high academic achievement found that their families reported higher educational and income levels, had fewer children, were more likely to be Caucasian, reported less prolonged depression, and had more responsive, flexible, and less restrictive parenting practices than other Head Start children. (Author/CR)

Discusses aspects of the Family Narrative Consortium's multisite, multidisciplinary collaboration to study the effect of social context on family narratives. Considers the value of the study for developing a coding system for narratives that yields comparable results across research sites. Examines the measures, epistemological issues,…

Investigates roles of parents in transmitting political values and attitudes to their children. Collected data from 275 households (n=275 adults and n=387 children) participating in a 1994 political values and attitudes study. Parents' gender, political activity, socioeconomic status, and family environment have an impact on degree of parent-child…

Describes a study of undergraduates conducted at the University of Leicester (England) that examined the effect of prior experience and gender stereotyping on computer anxiety, confidence, and liking. Experience with home computers and evidence of same-sex role modeling within families are discussed, and additional research is suggested. (Contains…

Contrasted characteristics of antisocial adolescents who desist from crime in adulthood with characteristics of those who became adult criminals. Proposed that psychophysiological differences between the two groups could reveal procedures to protect vulnerable individuals against crime. Findings suggest that better conditioning and enhanced…

This article reviews research regarding gifted students with disabilities who underachieve. Educators are urged to determine whether underachievement stems from more serious physical, cognitive, or emotional issues, a mismatch between the student and environment, or a personal characteristic, and develop intervention strategies specifically…