This paper presents an overview of family and cultural issues relevant to planning for assistive technology (AT) for students with disabilities. The potential for interactive multimedia in helping teams and families make AT decisions is reviewed. It describes a newly available interactive CD-ROM designed to provide basic information for…

Analysis of data from a national longitudinal study of adolescent health found that adolescent involvement in four types of violent behaviors was related to race/ethnicity, gender, and family structure. Family cohesion was a protective factor against all types of violence. (Contains 45 references.) (Author/SV)

Provides an overview of the inequalities of access to higher education in Greece at the national level showing patterns of differentiation between the scientific disciplines and between occupations in the labor market. Offers the "Indices of Educational Opportunities" to show the patterns of student distribution in universities and other…

Compared social capital characteristics of successful African American high school students to those of successful white and nonsuccessful African American peers, examining: parent-teen, parent-school, and parent-parent interactions and family norms. Data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study indicated that despite comparatively more…

This article describes how years of focusing on the talk of 4-year- olds in early intervention led to years of observing 1- through 3-year- olds learning to talk during their everyday interactions with their parents. Analysis reveals that the amount of children's language experiences as partners in conversation is crucial to development. (Contains…

In a secondary analysis of a study involving 619 middle school students, a path model was tested to examine the effects of family and peer variables on adolescent drug use. Results suggest that peer drug use is a salient issue in adolescent drug use, and that family variables influence male and female adolescent drug use differently. (SLD)

Describes the Team Environmental Assessment Mapping System (TEAMS), a practical tool for inventorying the environmental demands that a student faces, while also mapping the social influences that drive or hinder a student's performance in those environments. A sample TEAMS map for an adolescent with Down syndrome is provided. (CR)

Effects of school, family, and community support on academic attitudes and achievement were examined in 827 eighth-grade black students in an urban school district in the southeastern U.S. Students' church involvement and perceptions of teacher and parental support positively influence academic self-concepts and school behaviors. (MMU)

Examined associations between children's early experiences in family disputes and later conflict management with close friends. Found that argument used by mothers and siblings that considered children's needs was positively associated with children's later constructive argument and resolution techniques. Mothers' use of argument predicted…

Examines the relative influence of family, school, peer influences, perceived student substance abuse, family substance abuse, and acculturation on Mexican-American early adolescents (N=413). Results show that family functioning and family use directly influence males, whereas family use and student use directly influence females. Family…

Argues that out-of-school factors have enormous, perhaps decisive, influence on student achievement and examines the role ethnicity, parents, peers, and culture play in student attitudes and academic performance. Findings are presented based on survey data gathered from 20,000 high school students over a 3-year period. (GR)

A longitudinal study of 118 high ability Budapest children (ages 12-14) investigated family influences on child development. Three case studies are described that illustrate the differences in the sensitivity with which the parents recognized the various demands of their able children and how they responded to them. (Contains nine references.) (CR)

Examined cognitive development in children adopted after at least eight months in a Romanian orphanage, and evaluated the influence of a stable adoptive family and home environment on their development. Found that subjects scored lower than comparison group of nonadopted, never institutionalized children on all cognitive measures, and on most…

Discusses the importance of nurturing creativity in early childhood education, focusing on family influences on creativity. Summarizes research on familial impact on creativity, including the role of the family's adaptability, parental discipline style, parental rejection, and family pressure toward creativity. Suggests ways early childhood…

Assesses the linguistic nature of home community, recollections of early experiences in second language learning, and attitudes and beliefs about language learning and bilingualism in English-speaking Canadian college students who study French. Surveys provide support for a causal model which indicates that sociocultural experiences influence…