Social science can be instrumental in illuminating responses to persistent social problems like racial or economic inequality. And a powerful starting point for studies that pursue this goal is a nuanced understanding of the problem at hand. That is, with a well-developed conceptualization of the contours, causes, and consequences of a given…

There are two types of risk factors for developing PTSD: factors that increase the likelihood of experiencing a potentially traumatizing event and factors that increase the likelihood of developing symptoms following such events. Using prospective data over a two-year period from a large, diverse sample of urban adolescents (n = 1242, Mean age =…

According to Fordham University's 1996 "Index of Social Health," our society's overall well-being is decreasing significantly. Today's children are not sufficiently shielded from adult economic, political, and sexual forces. Children's social world has become poisonous, due to escalating violence, the potentially lethal consequences of…

Argues that parental licensing is the wrong approach to the serious dysfunctional aspect of contemporary American life of single parent families. The nation, instead, should adequately address the poverty, crime, unequal educational opportunities, and drug problems that already exist. (GR)

Describes early childhood developmental deficits associated with long-term poverty as indicated by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Suggests substantial disadvantages in cognitive development among young children in chronically poor families. Deficits appear in a variety of indices of cognitive or socioemotional development,…

Today's children manifest more serious behavior problems than those of the midseventies, resulting from changes in the economy, the racial and ethnic landscape, government policy, and the family. Immense structural changes are necessary in education, health care, government, and political leadership if families and children of the underclass are…

This monograph examines the phenomenon of young children who lack the socialization and academic preparation needed to meet the demands of schooling and take advantage of educational programs. Such children have inadequately nurtured bodies and incompletely or inappropriately stimulated minds. The changing nature of childhood is portrayed in…

Examines mobility's underside, including confused and rootless children and frustrated teachers. One in six third-graders has attended at least three schools. Schools with the highest mobility rates are poor, urban, and increasingly less accountable. Educators cannot remedy mobility's social causes, but are helping transient kids with electronic…