Cognitive models of depression have been well supported with adults, but the developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability are not well understood. The authors hypothesized that temperament, parenting, and negative life events in childhood would contribute to the development of cognitive style, with withdrawal negativity and negative parental…

In the fall of 1989, President Bush and 50 state governors gathered to discuss why the American education system was failing. A major conclusion of the summit was that parents have a tremendous influence on their children's education. For change to occur in educational outcomes, parents must realize that the primary responsibility for their…

In 1987, the California State Department of Education issued "Caught in the Middle," a state policy document that called for extensive reform of the state's middle schools, including reductions in curricular tracking. Subsequent attempts to reduce tracking have frequently pitted reform-minded educators against resistant parents. This…

This review of the literature looks at family influences on the achievement of economically disadvantaged youth, with an emphasis on relationships among families, academic achievement, and gifted education. Theoretical perspectives on the study of families have focused primarily on families as static systems and families as dynamic systems and,…

Using an action research model, this study concentrated on easing the transition into school by providing an induction program for preschool children which promotes the emotional needs of the child within the family. The research followed an ecological perspective, considering individual needs within the frameworks of school, home, and community…

Opponents of the legal recognition of homosexual unions have based their arguments in part on the premise that children brought up by parents of the same sex face significant social and psychological disadvantages. Presenting a longitudinal study of 25 children raised in lesbian mother families, and a comparison group raised by single heterosexual…

One quarter of all American children will live in a single-parent family for at least some portion of their childhood. This guide, organized as a step-by-step process, encourages single parents to reach for excellence in their parenting and to build confidence in their ability to raise healthy, responsible children. The chapters are intended to…

This paper discusses parents' perspectives on child care as they affect research approaches. Consideration of the parents' perspectives and socioeconomic positions allows a better assessment of parents' interest in their children's preschool education. Parents fulfill many roles within their families and society at large. These demands lead to…

This conference sought to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on how parents, teachers, and other concerned individuals can contribute to strengthening the educational support system, and sought to generate practical information on strategies to improve achievement levels of youth. A conference program prospectus by Louise M. Tomlinson…

Theory and research on parent-child linguistic interactions that focus on the symbolic representation or categorization of objects are discussed, noting the role of such variables as the age of the children, linguistic context, and sex of the involved parent. During the second year of life, even if maternal and paternal games with toddlers are…

This research investigated the influence of parental involvement on the academic achievement of 1,714 Mexican-American 8th-grade students, a subsample of the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS 88). A structural equation model was used to investigate the direct, indirect, and total effects of parental involvement, previous academic…

The product of a close collaboration between mental health and child development professionals, this book provides essential information about the many types of behaviors--both normal and atypical--that children can show, with a sensitivity to the complex issues that child behavior problems can sometimes create for mothers and fathers. Following…

This document consists of materials developed and used by a project to research and design a prototype plan using the television program "Reading Rainbow" and the resources of the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association to cultivate family literacy. An executive summary presents findings from the six focus group discussions of…

This manual on drugs, alcohol, and driving is written for parents from both prevention and intervention perspectives. An overview of the substance abuse problem is presented through a description of the film, "The Mountain," a 14-minute animated movie in which a rural community, working together, learn to use and enjoy in safety the…

The impact of the home learning environment on children's autonomous learning behaviors (ALBs) was examined. The three key topics addressed were: (1) the relation of types of helping techniques used by mothers to their children's help-seeking and persistence behaviors in the classroom; (2) the relation of children's ALBs to gender; and (3)…