Focusing on special education and early childhood policy and practices, this paper highlights global educational and social forces that demand professional attention and study. These global forces include: (1) the movement toward educational reform and an improved competitive edge in the world marketplace; (2) the unionization of educational…

A practicum provided child-centered activities for 20 kindergarten children during regular school hours. Goals for the practicum were to: (1) develop literacy; (2) increase social interaction between the teacher and the child through verbal and body language communication which weaves reading and writing into the relationship; and (3) obtain a…

The typical girl in distress in Israel comes from a Jewish family of oriental origin. Her distress is partially due to the strains of immigrating to Israel from, in most cases, North Africa. Authority models in distressed girls' families feature either the role of the father as the commanding familial authority figure; the mother as the dominant…

Forty-four family-oriented, prime time television program episodes (30 hours) aired in November and December 1982 were selected for content analysis from 12 commercial television series which met selection criteria for Neilsen Television rating, airing time, and theme. Family oriented programming was defined as any series with a primary theme that…

The transition to parenthood has been described as both stressful and rewarding. To further clarify attitudes toward parenthood and suggest strategies for enhancing the satisfaction and reducing stress, 819 families responded to a 14-item questionnaire about parents' attitudes. Percent of agreement or disagreement was calculated for each item for…

Considering such factors as disruption of Indian families caused by Anglo educational programs (missionary schools, BIA boarding schools), by Indian relocation programs, and other non-Indian institutions, many of today's abusive and neglectful Indian parents were victims as children in these same institutions. The 9-page information sheet offers a…

The parent's guide reviews normal speech and language development and discusses ways in which parents of young children with language problems facilitate that development. Terms such as speech, communication, and receptive and expressive language are defined, and stages in receptive/expressive language development are charted. Implications for…

This paper raises the question of how we can achieve stable parenting without the traditional structural underpinnings of the family--the sexual division of labor, economic dependence on males of women and children, and the combination of procreation with sex. Alternative arrangements are explored. (Author)

The etiology of homosexuality is probably best explained from a multidimensional framework which takes into account socialization, family background, and individual developmental factors. A research review was conducted to examine the influence of parental characteristics in the etiology of homosexuality. The findings of the review support the…

This study examined adults' beliefs about parenthood in terms of Veevers' (1973) notion of "cultural myths" about adulthood and tried to account for the origins and importance of the myths. Subjects were 93 undergraduates in a junior-level course on parenting who completed the Survey of Beliefs about Parenthood at the beginning and end…

A 2-day conference on teaching moral values in American schools resulted in a report called "Moral Education and Character" which highlights the views of participants from a variety of fields. This brief paper is a synopsis of the issues and arguments presented in that report. Moral education concerns learning about good conduct. It is about the…

This paper describes the kind of environment that nurtures emerging literacy in a consistent and comprehensive way from infancy through kindergarten. The paper also examines the rationale for encouraging young children to communicate and become authors. A section on opportunities for literacy development covers writing centers, show me activities,…

Educators of students at risk need to engage the students' parents in the educational process. Many parents do not know how important they are to their children's success in school. Parents should be encouraged to spend time with their children; read to their children; discipline their children; and expect their children to succeed. Educators can…

This booklet has been prepared primarily to assist parents as they strive to be active partners with the school in the education of their children. It is designed to provide information and practical suggestions on how this teamwork can be accomplished. The introduction cautions parents that, when noting the characteristics of a particular age…

This study examined characteristics of the relationship between mothers and adolescent daughters in 24 African American families--12 middle class and 12 working class--and compared these findings to similar past research done on white middle class mother-daughter dyads. Specific questions addressed in this study were constructed around recurring…