Examines the impact of fertility, family changes, and employment trends on parenthood in Scandinavia. Maintains that the most vulnerable aspect of responsible parenthood is the privatization of the family and feminization of childhood. Parenthood as private choice may encourage societal nonresponsibility for children. The high risk of parental…

The breakdown or "dumbing down" occurring in today's public schools stems not from poorer teaching but from poorer parenting. The parents most responsible for making public school a priority were goaded by memories of the Great Depression. As prosperity increased, parental attitudes have changed. Citizens of some states (like Indiana)…

Revisions a set of data from a longitudinal study of children who were prenatally exposed to crack/cocaine. Shows that the foster mother most often positioned herself as a leader or expert, the child positioned himself as a successful student, and the researcher was positioned by these two as a recipient of information. (RS)

Discusses child characteristics that influence acculturation, including age at migration, language facility, gender, and personality. Considers children's contact with the new society, including living arrangements, schooling experiences, parental attitudes and behaviors, and disparity with the former society. Provides five recommendations for…

Presents a case study, through observation of a child named Hawk Weisman, that demonstrates a child's use of drawing to find meaning. Discusses Hawk's motivations for drawing, the recurring themes that encompass both humanistic and scientific concepts, and his homemade books. Addresses the educational implications. (CMK)

In this study, a system of least prompts, partial participation, and parental involvement was used to successfully teach an adolescent with Down syndrome, moderate mental retardation, and Type I diabetes to self-administer an injection of insulin as part of an overall plan to increase self-determination and independence. (Contains seven…

Parents of gifted children are advised to follow a four-step plan of information gathering and advocacy when their children are not receiving an appropriate educational program. Examples of three parents following this procedure are presented, along with a checklist for program and teacher evaluation. (DB)

Describes a four-part writing project that requires students to write about family memories and recent history, literature and folklore of their family heritage, migration patterns that brought their people to the United States, and their reflections on all of these areas. Shows how the project involves research, computer skills, and cooperation…

Suggests that, without the influence of adults who understand the vital role discipline plays in the child's assumption of responsibility, children may become a threat to their own growth and to their societies. Discusses the need for parents to provide positive discipline in their children's lives to help them become confident, independent, and…

Investigated child care usage and factors behind parental choices for four-year olds prior to formal education. Parent interviews revealed that many children spent time in a range of early care and educational services, and many also participated in extracurricular and recreational activities. Revealed the complexity parents face in balancing work…

Reviews and evaluates a number of books and studies about cooperative efforts between parents and teachers to develop the literacy of school children. Recommends those books that model a reciprocal working relationship between parents and teachers. (TB)

Couples with school-age children with mental retardation completed self-report and observational measures of marriage, the parenting alliance, and parenting attitudes and behaviors at two periods. Findings indicated significant effects of marital quality on changes in self-reports of perceived parenting competence, and in observed negative…

Describes the development of the Classroom Systems Observation Scale (CSOS), which assesses preschool through sixth grade classroom functioning from a systems perspective using a theoretical framework based on the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. Discusses influences of home environment and parental support on learning; and…

This study examined relationships between parent-child pretense and physical play and children's social competence. Observations suggest that mutually responsive parent-child interaction during both pretense and physical play is associated with children's social competence. Children's emotion knowledge was positively associated with social…

Addresses a research project on the achievement of children of Caribbean heritage in Britain. Describes the research on homes and on elucidating the processes of support for schooling by parents in the project. Examines what the parents did to promote their children's achievement. (CMK)