This book presents a study of the ways in which home and school experiences affect the literacy achievement of a group of elementary school children from low-income families. Chapter 1 describes how the study differs from other literacy research. Chapter 2 describes the community where the research took place, some of the families studied, and the…

Objectives of the research project described in this report were to explore the African American adolescents' perceptions of the social forces shaping their lives and well being. The project examined: (1) perceptions and understandings of racial discrimination; (2) their views of the value of schooling and the role of school achievement; (3) their…

This report examines motivational variables and support structures that influenced the success of African American females who graduated with honors from a rural Georgia high school. Case studies focus on the nature of the honor graduates' friendships and the role that friendship may have played in motivating these students to become honor…

The context and processes of language acquisition in bilingual, bicultural British-Pakistani and British-Asian children (ages 2-19) attending a school for severe learning difficulties (SLD) were investigated. The first study compared 20 children with SLD who had a proficiency in speaking English and in their mother tongue (Urdu, Punjabi, Hindko,…

This report describes the initial plan, participants, and evaluation of Saint Paul (Minnesota) Children's Initiative (SPCI) during 1993. The SPCI is a family-community program to improve child health, child development, school performance, and to enhance family functioning through formal and informal support systems in Saint Paul/Ramsey county. At…

To gain perspective on how the structure of a family impacts young people, data from a national study conducted by the Search Institute were reexamined. Of the 47,000 students of the study, 8,266 live in a single parent household, due largely to divorce. Analysis focused on at-risk behavior, deficits, and the dynamics of healthy single-parent…

Family literacy programs must acknowledge the family as the primary place of learning, and developers of family literacy programs and curricula must focus on the family unit as a whole, building upon the cultural and knowledge capital of the entire family and acknowledging gender and age power relationships within the family. Educators must…

This book surveys new developments in research on family-peer relations and discusses the impact of these developments on current knowledge and future research. The book's 14 chapters are: (1) "Themes and Theories: Perspectives on Processes in Family-Peer Relationships" (G. Ladd); (2) "Family and Peer Relationships in Historical Perspective" (P.…

This book presents the personal, professional, and family dilemmas that entrepreneurs face at each stage of their careers and discusses strategies to manage such problems successfully. The material was gathered in the following ways: (1) interviews with 14 entrepreneurs; (2) 70 case studies of entrepreneurial firms; (3) analysis of biographies of…

This investigation examined students attending U.S. and Canadian visual and performing arts secondary schools for distinguishing personality characteristics, locus of control, acceptance of talents, labeling, family dynamics, anxiety levels, perceived personal and school problems, and views of peers, artists/teachers, and counselors. One hundred…

This study, part of a larger ethnographic study of elementary students categorized as at-risk, attempts to determine whether the labelling of students affects teachers' expectations of, and behavior toward, at-risk students. The beliefs of a teacher sample of five women, three Hispanic and two Anglo, at two urban schools in the Southwest with…

Focusing on the family as a context for the development of life plans by youth, this report summarizes findings of a 14-year longitudinal study on the educational and occupational life plans and achievement of youth in rural low-income areas in six southeastern states. Specific attention is given to (1) how parental educational and occupational…

Designed for school-age child care staff training, this package of materials aims to (1) increase understanding of the developmental needs of school-age children between 5 and 12 years of age; (2) provide information on developing safe, supportive, and enriching programs for children during the hours they are not in school; and (3) involve staff…

Educational production can be studied by correlating levels of academic achievement with three independent variables: student's family background, student's mental ability, and school quality. To examine family background and school quality, information was gathered from schools in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru.…

This report examines factors in high and low academic achievement among Hispanic females in public schools, based on three data sources: student interviews, parent interviews, and classroom observations. The first part of the report, Student Interviews, is subdivided into five sections. Section 1, "Cognitive," covers the following: (1)…