An examination into the origins of rights' discourse and contemporary debates around child labour in developing countries, illustrates some of the problems with the discursive uses that children's rights is put to, and its weakness as a means of addressing issues of social justice. Addressing the discourse around child labour, and how this is…

One of the main objectives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is to improve the lives of people in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region by reducing inequality. In 2008, the IDB's Division of Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation (CTI) developed the Innovation Lab (I-Lab), which falls under the umbrella of a growing set of…

"Trends Shaping Education 2010" brings together evidence showing the effects on education of globalisation, social challenges, changes in the workplace, the transformation of childhood, and ICT. To make the content accessible, each trend is presented on a double page, containing an introduction, two charts with brief descriptive text and a set of…

This report examines child poverty in the United States, discusses its cause and persistence, and makes recommendations for solutions. Areas examined involve the historical roots of social-welfare policy in the United States; the facts behind the mythologies and misperceptions concerning child and family poverty; the children and families to be…

This article reviews the changing structures and characteristics of the American family and discusses the increased influence of several societal concerns, including poverty, substance abuse, and exposure to violence. These issues are considered in light of their potentially deleterious effects on child and family development and functioning,…

This paper argues that schools are not the means by which diverse societal ills can be cured, but schools should be considered the dependent measure for assessing behavioral applications for social change. The concept of child services centers is proposed, providing parent education, community development, emergency care, health care, nutritional…

Presents a conceptual model for better understanding how poverty jeopardizes a host of childhood and adulthood abilities. Links the model with various policy initiatives that attempt to curb poverty or its detrimental effects. Suggests that low family income compromises children's physical growth, cognitive development, socioemotional functioning,…

The mere act of living in today's society is dangerous to the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The concept of the socially toxic environment is offered as a parallel to the environmental movement's analysis of physical toxicity. Social life is more risky than it was just 40 years ago, and the level of social and cultural poison…

Early childhood educators and researchers in the field have continuously debated the value of such research in the actual practice of classroom teaching. An historical perspective is taken on early childhood education, and a look into its future prospects concludes the discussion. (JN)

The challenges of today lead to more technology rather than less for our culture in the future. Ability to process information symbolically in language and numbers will become increasingly important for employment and for participation in our culture. The fact that plasticity in psychological development is greatest during infancy and early…

A former childcare worker addresses the connection between social problems plaguing modern life and society's attitudes toward the role of women and mothering. She describes the detrimental effects on children who are placed in day care at an early age and urges that families abandon materialism and work toward improving the quality of their own…

This book argues that many U.S. children are at risk because of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, poor health, illiteracy, racial prejudice, and the eruption of unprecedented levels of violence both in inner cities and across the country. It provides a comprehensive overview of the crises young children and adolescents face and the decisions that…

The document presents a report by psychologists, educators, and religious leaders who participated in a conference to investigate moral attitudes and behavior of youth in the United States in the late 1960s. The document provides information concerning youth's problems, needs, expectations, and attitudes in 1969. Topics discussed by conference…