This paper examines child care quality and the effects of in-home and out-of-home child care on children's quality of life, focusing on the results of a 1992 study of child care in northern and central Italy. The study surveyed the parents of 2,158 toddlers cared for exclusively in the home and 2,346 toddlers attending public day care centers. It…

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…

This study used data from a national survey of homosexual and bisexual public school teachers to explore differences among participants in rural, suburban, and urban schools. A survey was sent to 1,350 participants through national, state, and urban based gay teacher organizations. Of those sampled, 904 responded. Findings included the following:…

This paper is designed to assist education planners and policymakers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to identify a range of strategic options to increase the access and retention of girls in the education system. It provides a review of materials relating to the status of female education in the MENA region, statistical data on…

This literature review compiled a survey of Australian research related to identification of students at risk and school-related programs which respond to these risks. Thus, two major components of this report are titled "Student Retention and Risk Factors" and "Programs for Students at Risk." Students at risk were defined as…

This study examines whether students' constant focus on meeting teacher expectations might cause students to see themselves as producers of products for someone else, rather than as learners. Four researchers asked elementary, middle, high school, and university students to describe their experience of classrooms, listening for patterns that would…

To determine factors affecting new students in their first semester, a study was conducted at Diablo Valley College, in California, to draw a profile and track 4,251 students who applied or were identified as new in fall 1992. Percentage distributions were calculated for the sample and for the sub-groups who applied only, completed testing only,…

This study examined the "educare" experiences of infants and toddlers in New Zealand child care centers to evaluate whether those experiences provided opportunities for learning. Subjects were 200 under-2-year-old children (99 boys and 101 girls) from 100 childcare centers, 2 children from each center. Subjects were each observed for 80…

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,…

Through a multiple case study design the influence of teachers beliefs on literacy instruction for at-risk first graders was examined and described. The volunteer sample of five female teachers who taught in different high risk schools within the same school district participated in the study. Five issues guided the study: teachers beliefs about…

The "Dynamics of Relationships" program was originally designed as a preventive approach to the many social ills affecting young people and families today. This teacher's manual for the program provides objectives and activities for helping students develop and maintain a strong and secure self-image, effective communication and coping…

This kit consists of: (1) a leader's guide; (2) an 18-minute videotape containing three 6-minute discussion starter segments analyzing typical commercials and advertising techniques; (3) a special issue of "Media Values" magazine on the theme "Fatal Attraction: The Selling of Addiction"; (4) an 8-page booklet "Awareness to Action: Media Literacy…

An ethnographic study examined the role of language, discrimination, and aspirations in the school success of Latino students in a small rural town. The town, located about 1,000 miles from Mexico and about 200 miles from any sizeable Latino community, contains about 200 Latinos. Almost all are Mexicans or Mexican Americans and have come to work…

This issue of "Media & Values" provides essays and teaching ideas for addressing the influence of the media in society and the growing incidence of addiction. Articles in this issue include: (1) "Culture of Addiction" (Rosalind Silver); (2) "Crack and the Box" (Pete Hamill); (3) "When It Comes to Drugs, Beware the Censor's Fix" (David Musto); (4)…

This study (reported in separate English and Spanish versions) used a qualitative approach to identify the supportive parental behaviors of academically successful children from low income families in Even Start programs, from the parents', teachers', and children's perspectives. The sample contained 12 low income parents who had one or more…