This paper discusses the impact of World War II on the lives of U.S. home-front children--that is, the boys and girls born between 1933 and 1945 who were children during the war and were still preadolescents when the war ended. The paper proceeds by discussing, first, the topical approach to the subject used in this essay; second, the ways in…

This paper explored the behavior of children of the U.S. homefront during World War II, and found that, in general, girls and boys adopted the sex-typed behavior that their parents, teachers, and peers believed was appropriate to their gender and age. Thus, girls played the roles of mother, teacher, and nurse, while boys played the roles of…

By describing the characteristics of the educational and developmental belief systems of low-income African-American parents of kindergarten children, this study extended previous research on parents' beliefs about early education and development to more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse subject groups. A sample of 115 African-American…

One of the most robust approaches to researching parents' influence on children's social competence is the study of what has been called "parenting style." Parenting style captures two important elements of parenting: parental responsiveness and parental demandingness. Categorizing parents according to whether they are high or low on…

When teachers lay the weight of the world's ecological problems on elementary students before they have fostered the kind of connectedness that underlies appropriate environmental education, they create a condition of fear and disempowerment called "ecophobia." The paper suggests that teachers must lead with emotional connectedness…

The content and materials of cultural instruction in elementary school second language courses are discussed. First, the availability of such materials is examined, and a model for deciding what to teach is presented. Four factors are included in this model: students' first language proficiency and the transfer of skills to the second language;…

This publication explores the need for child care, particularly for low income families, and the social importance of high quality child care. These factors are the impetus for the Campaign for Child Care NOW! organized by the Children's Defense Fund. This advocacy program is urging Congress to approve legislation that will guarantee funds to help…

Protective factors that contribute to the development of resiliency in children, defined as "unusually good adaptation in the face of severe stress, and an ability of the stressed person to rebound to the prestress level of adaptation," are discussed. The biological, psychological, familial, and social factors related to disadvantages…

The District of Columbia Board of Education declared the 1990-1991 school year "The Year of the Young Child." During this year, the district encouraged programs that: (1) responded to the learning patterns of children; (2) involved parents in their children's development; (3) provided a range of services such as health and nutrition…

This paper describes the effects of poverty on the children of the Lower Mississippi Delta area and summarizes the literature on the relationships between childhood poverty and children's education. Topics covered in the literature review include: (1) the effects of child poverty on educational achievement; (2) the effect of early education…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of a parent education program in increasing school readiness in poor and high-needs children. Participants in the Parents and Children Together program (PACT) of Binghamton, New York, receive home visits from trained and certified parent educators, beginning when a child is born and continuing until he or she is…

This collection of essays reflects the notion that perceptions of children and childhood shape approaches to education and child rearing. The essays include: (1) "The Child Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," on how children have been regarded throughout recorded history; (2) "Piaget and Montessori in the Classroom," examining the…

This manual provides a state-of-the art review of child neglect in the United States, its nature, causes, and the implications of that knowledge for preventive and remedial intervention. After an introduction, the first chapter considers the definition of neglect including types of neglect, the withholding of medically indicated treatment from…

This book responds to nearly 1,000 commonly asked questions concerning a child's development from infancy to adolescence, as it applies to black children. Common parental concerns are discussed from sibling rivalry to setting a curfew, as well as advice for parents and teachers who must foster healthy self-esteem in black children living within a…

This report describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot project by the Studio in a School (SIAS) arts group to place professional artists in six preschools and kindergarten programs in New York City public schools. The SIAS program provided both on-site, hands-on visual arts training of teachers and aides and direct…