Examines the major assumptions on which parental involvement in schools are based, beginning with Project Head Start. Emphasizes the importance of the ecological perspective which balances parental empowerment and parental education, and generates policies, programs and research goals that apply directly to the lives of Black families. (FMW)

This policy brief provides the context and the research supporting the American Federation of Teacher's call for universal early childhood education. It focuses on the current challenges the nation faces in achieving such a program; and it includes the signs of progress, a description of what other industrialized countries are doing, the features…

This study explores two linguistically alternative options--English and Japanese--available to children from bilingual homes, some of which are immigrant families. To measure each child's bilingual verbal ability, the Bilingual Verbal Ability Tests (BVAT) were administered. Interviews with bilingual children's mothers were conducted. The results…

This series of special reports argues that states must use their newly established, more rigorous standards to (1) provide teachers with the skills and knowledge required to teach to the higher academic standards and (2) provide students with additional opportunities to learn and to achieve the higher standards. This report presents a number of…

Examines the link between racial inequality in schooling and differences in cultural capital, parents' socialization of their children into high-status culture. Reveals an interconnection between the integration of blacks into high-status culture and the black-white convergence in schooling. Suggests cultural capital possesses potential for upward…

Explores art education for young children, emphasizing developmentally appropriate programs that integrate art activities with children's daily experiences rather than impose adult notions about art. Recognizes school and home environment's influence on developing children's visual activity and skill. Advocates that classroom teachers take more…

Reviews literature suggesting that a sociocultural model of infant social development is needed to examine variable influencing infants' interactions with caregivers. Significant variables include familial influences and cultural expectations. Positive development requires that these variables lead to adults who respond appropriately to infant…

Explored images that young children construct of literacy in their lives, both inside and outside of school. Analysis of the drawings of 48 children in grades 1-3 revealed a shift in the children's images of themselves in relation to literacy with each grade level. The influence of home and family on literacy behaviors was also noted. (Author/TJQ)

Objective: The overall aim of the research was to investigate the approaches taken to tobacco education by primary school teachers. Setting: Research was conducted in four diverse areas of Scotland. Methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with primary 6 and primary 7 teachers. Questions explored the classroom issues…

Few researchers have asked students directly about what they know and need to know regarding college and career planning. Given the critical choices made early in high school, ninth graders (n = 222) were surveyed regarding their educational and career plans and the resources they were using in their decision-making. Overall results as well as…

Children in the United States are exposed to considerable community violence that has been linked to child functioning. However, not all those exposed, experience negative outcomes. Recent research has focused on factors that "buffer" or protect children from negative consequences of violence exposure. The purpose of this investigation…

Intended to help parents find the words they need to talk to their children and answer their children's practical questions, this book offers practical guidance on a wide range of life's experiences, from family changes such as divorce and remarriage, to controversial subjects such as child abuse and AIDS. The major focus is on children ages 4 to…

A practicum program was developed and implemented to increase parental involvement, teach parents how to help their children, reverse parents' and students' negative attitudes toward mathematics, and enhance mathematics performance of at-risk seventh-grade students. The objectives of the program were to increase parental involvement by 40 percent,…

The six articles in this issue attempt to answer questions that have arisen due to the increase in programs that cross existing or traditional age barriers in literacy education. They draw upon recent and current research and practice both in the United Kingdom and the United States. "Family Literacy: An Intergenerational Approach to…

This handbook introduces the reader to the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) research project and the various data sets that comprise the NLS. It is designed to assist readers in making an informed decision on whether the NLS is an appropriate data source for their research needs and to provide additional resources for those who desire more…