Written by scholars interested in practical questions, the four articles in this review of research on current topics in child development and early education focus on children's social and emotional development and the impact of various settings and interventions on that development. The first article explores the issue of how compensatory education affects children's social-emotional development. The emotional impact of a common but traumatic experience--being in the hospital--is discussed in the second article. Specific steps that parents and professionals can take to lessen the impact of the experience are outlined. The third paper reviews research on teaching children social-cognitive problem-solving strategies to help them handle everyday interpersonal problems. Implications for home and school settings are discussed. The last article focuses on some of the determinants and implications of children's self-concept, describing how adults can intervene to help improve children's perceptions of themselves. (RH)