A study at Iona College (New York) analyzed the impact of demographic, socioeconomic, and financial factors on the enrollment behavior of accepted college applicants. The data base consisted of observations on accepted applicants to the college for the 1991-92, 1993-94, and 1995-96 academic years and included 2,198, 2,553, and 2,353 students…

This book examines the cultural universal of family and community from a multicultural perspective. The text is written for juveniles, and includes many color photographs. Chapters include: (1) "Families Are Everywhere"; (2) "The Americas"; (3) "Africa"; (4) "Europe and the Middle East"; (5) "Asia"; and (6) "Australia and the South Pacific." The…

This biography profiles the late Elizabeth (Betty) Murray, an educator and community leader from Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia (Canada). Chapter 1 looks at Murray's leadership skills as, at age 77, she prepared and directed her annual musical in which the people of Tatamagouche recreate a significant moment in their village history. Chapter 2 moves…

This literature review asserts that although findings indicate that children from a wide array of cultures and circumstances acquire similar mathematical understandings with little formal instruction, there is also substantial evidence that mathematical knowledge varies across social classes and cultural groups. The paper explores the literature…

This KIDS COUNT report presents statistics highlighting challenges faced by newborns and their parents in major urban areas. Data came from birth certificates. Overall, children living in central cities are far more likely to experience six risks associated with negative child outcomes, and when those six factors are used collectively to determine…

As child welfare professionals have become aware of the impact of prenatal substance exposure on children in the adoption process or who are available for adoption, there is a heightened need for understanding a range of issues connected with prenatal alcohol and drug exposure. This book addresses many of these issues, including the impact of…

The lives of many families involve contact with more than one language and culture on a daily basis. This book is aimed at the many parents and professionals who feel uncertain about the best way to go about helping children gain maximum benefit from the situation. Every family's situation is different, but there is much parents can do to make…

This study examined how parents' beliefs about skilled reading and shared book reading related to the ways they coached their children in learning to read in kindergarten through grade 2 and whether these beliefs and behaviors contributed to their children's reading skill. The focus of the study was on the ways parents responded to children's…

The population of school-aged English language learners (ELLs) has consistently and significantly increased over the past decade, transforming U.S. public schools, instruction, and teacher preparation. This digest discusses the need for increased numbers of teachers of ELLs and the particular linguistic and academic characteristics of ELLs. It…

This report compiles 6 of the 12 papers commissioned for the first Kauffman Early Education Exchange Conference in November 2001 that present the latest findings on the importance of social and emotional aspects of school readiness. The papers also provide evidence of programs that help to prepare young children for early school success. An…

The labor market effects of employment protection were examined in a study of Germany's employment protection regulations and their impact on employment practices and patterns. The following topics were considered: (1) the question of whether Germany's labor market problems are a result of regulations; (2) employment security as a subject of labor…

Beginning with a brief history of homeschooling in America, this paper discusses literature describing today's population of homeschoolers. Although older, the binary typology offered by Van Galen (1987, 1991) to categorize the motivations of homeschoolers is still utilized in much of the homeschooling literature. Van Galen breaks homeschoolers…

In this qualitative study, five female students in the sixth grade were interviewed and surveyed about their views on popularity at their urban middle school in Ohio. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether middle school girls engaged in academic competition, to describe their subjective experiences of popularity in middle school,…

This book is designed to summarize, integrate, and evaluate current research on adolescent development. It contains the following chapters: (1) "Paths to Adulthood: Adolescent Diversity in Contemporary America" (Ramond Montemayor); (2) "Competence among Urban Adolescents in Poverty: Multiple Forms, Contexts, and Developmental…

Essays on political issues in multicultural and bilingual education include: "Cultural Recognition and Civil Discourse in Democracy" (Carlos J. Ovando, Peter McLaren); "The Political Life of Language Metaphors in Writings About Diversity in Education" (Sharon Pugh, Ovando, Nicole Schonemann); "Contesting Whiteness:…