The Quantum Opportunities Project (QOP) was a multisite youth development demonstration project funded by the Ford Foundation in San Antonio (Texas), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Milwaukee (Wisconsin), Saginaw (Michigan), and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). The programs, organized around educational activities, guaranteed up to 250 hours of education,…

Extending the work of behavioral scientist Urie Bronfenbrenner on the social and contextual factors influencing human development, this collection of essays, from scholars in a range of disciplines, shows how Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and research have transformed the way many social and behavioral scientists approach, think about, and…

This book is designed to be a resource that embodies the progressive concepts of life-connected topics by focusing on the search for self-understanding. It uses adolescent literature that is prize winning and much prized by young people, and it uses this literature to focus on difficult topics that adults (parents, teachers, and the school's…

In the summer of 1992, a survey gathered information on the availability and the nature of outdoor adventure experiences and related activities for young offenders and youth at risk in the United Kingdom. Survey questionnaires were returned by 61 providers of such services and by 159 youth social work and custodial agencies identified as potential…

This paper synthesizes a variety of perspectives, with an emphasis on attachment theory, on the agency/communion polarity as first defined by David Bakan (1966). The question researchers sought to answer was whether or not agency/communion is best approached as a polarity--opposite and opposing forces, forces in the personality which have often…

A tool for early childhood professionals, this book describes developmentally appropriate practices for adults providing care and education services to young children. Part 1 of the guide presents the position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on developmentally appropriate practice in early…

This guide presents strategies for increasing choice opportunities for people with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. Because choice opportunities are easily overlooked, these strategies are intended to provide a systematic way to ensure that simple, but important, daily choices are made available. The guide describes basic principles…

This training module was developed to educate personnel about the issue of self-advocacy by individuals with disabilities. The module includes workshop content (with side notes to the trainer in italics), overheads, and many handouts. Preliminary information includes module purpose and overall learning objectives, a module outline, materials…

This set of checklists in separate English- and Spanish-language versions, is designed to help parents and childcare providers determine through observations a child's developmental progress from birth to age 5. The checklists are excerpted from the "Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready" guidebook, written by a retired kindergarten teacher with 25 years…

This manual is intended to assist individuals with disabilities or their families to protect their rights and solve their problems through developing appropriate advocacy skills. Chapter 1 defines advocacy, discusses different types of advocacy, and examines attitudes towards advocacy that may help or hinder its practice. Chapter 2 describes basic…

While most people would readily agree that all family members and especially children are likely to experience adverse effects to their personal development as a result of being homeless, it is both surprising and distressing to note how little attention this topic has received in the professional literature to date. Counselors are well-advised to…

One of the most notable findings in contemporary behavior genetics is that children growing up in the same family are not very similar. The nine chapters in this book examine the contribution of genetics, shared environment, and nonshared environment to development. Chapters include: (1) "Behavioral Genetic Evidence for the Importance of…

The supplemental teaching resources provided in this book offer a variety of concrete, visual activities designed for the use of classroom and daycare center teachers to help young children feel proud and comfortable about their changing bodies. The lessons help children develop a healthy, age-appropriate foundation in anatomy and development.…

Describing the benefits parents and kids have gained from sharing reading and talking about books, this book shows parents how to bring their family closer together and support their child's academic and emotional development. The book suggests that not only does shared reading promote communication and mutual respect, it helps kids do better in…

This manual is aimed at employed people who want to think about where they are in their careers and in their lives, what they are doing now and what they might want to do in the future, and how they can set about improving their education and training and their future employability. It can be used by individuals or in a group context, and a short…