Although most of the national concern about violence has focused on major cities, no community is free from violence. Violent acts in suburbs, small towns, and rural areas may not be as severe as in urban areas, yet they exist. The Profiles of Student Life survey of 47,000 students in grades 6-12 included questions about violent behavior. The…

This report considers preschool children's early literacy-related competencies. The data are from the first 2 years of the Early Childhood Project, a longitudinal investigation following preschool children from different sociocultural groups in Baltimore, Maryland, through their transition into the early years of elementary school. Children were…

A study examined the home literacy practices of 180 low-income Latino recent-immigrant families participating in a 3-year family literacy program. Data were gathered from videotapes of literacy interactions between parents and children using children's literacy materials, audiotapes of naturally occurring conversation among family members,…

A qualitative study described the practices that supported literacy development within one first-grade classroom community and focused on one child, beginning with his entry into first grade and ending near the end of his second-grade year. Practices such as the deliberate valuing of children's live at home, the connection between home and school…

Consonant with the current concern for achievement of minority students, the two action research projects described in this paper use interviews and case studies of 10 African American high school students to address some issues related to motivation in the learning of mathematics, particularly as this motivation concerns aspects of the family…

This summary report by the American Psychological Association's Commission on Violence and Youth examines individual and societal factors that contribute to youth violence in the United States and offers intervention strategies to reduce such violence. It examines biological, family, school, emotional, cognitive, social, and cultural factors which…

Several authors have investigated the relationship among family variables and adolescent sexual behavior and young adolescents' use of alcohol has also been studied as it relates to family factors and sexual activity. This research is based on data from the second year of a six-year longitudinal study, which explores psychosocial and demographic…

Data were gathered from 221 middle and junior high school teachers in 4 states (Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania) and in schools located in 4 socioeconomic categories (urban, urban/inner city, suburban, rural). The teachers were surveyed to determine their attitudes about changing demographics of their pupils, knowledge of cultural…

Trends for kindergarten through second-grade children were identified from data collected in a longitudinal study of how children develop science concepts. The study involved approximately 325 children from three school districts. A heuristic model of science learning was developed representing children's entering ability, home background, home…

To examine the influence of older siblings on the sex-typed toy play of younger siblings, a study was undertaken of 60 children, 2 to 5 years old, with equal numbers of boys and girls with older brothers, older sisters, and no older siblings. Children's toy collections were inventoried and classified into conventionally male toys, or toys of the…

A study examined factors that may foster advanced knowledge of literacy among impoverished preschoolers who are generally found to be academically at-risk in learning to read. Six preschoolers enrolled in a Head Start program were identified by teacher recommendation as showing profound interest in written language (looking at books, writing…

The purpose of a 1992 course on emergent literacy in early childhood education was to formulate a shared definition of literacy; create awareness of the developmental process involved; test previous assumptions, methods, and techniques in the light of new knowledge; and develop pedagogic approaches and curricula relevant to the existing conditions…

A study examined the association of reading instruction with the amount and breadth of students' reading activities, taking account of social, cognitive, and home factors in the educative process. A secondary analysis of a large national data base for students aged 9, 13, and 17 was conducted. Using answers from student questionnaires, conceptual…

This project identified statistically significant predictors of first-year retention among 1991-92 freshmen who were enrolled in a rural midwestern comprehensive college. Results of a step-wise discriminant analysis indicated that college grade point average (GPA) was the best overall predictor of retention of first-year students (n=376). Results…

The purpose of this guide for educators is to provide strategies that schools can adopt to discourage teenage pregnancy. The first section describes adolescent pregnancy in New Jersey, including education efforts to address adolescent pregnancy, and statistics on adolescent fertility. The second section addresses familial, media and peer effects…