This paper centers on research on the development of a sense of time, and particularly, the meaning of the concept of time, children's development of the concept, and the relation of the concept to children's academic achievement in kindergarten and first grade. Discussion first focuses on two background perspectives: (1) the problem of educating black children in U.S. inner cities; and (2) an anthropological-ecological approach to the study of human environments and groups. Longitudinal research that involved a sample of black mothers and children from impoverished, overcrowded areas in Chicago is then presented. Mothers who gave birth in two major metropolitan hospitals were included in the sample if they were adolescents or had been so at the birth of their first child. Mothers and infants were videotaped at birth and at various intervals for a six-year period after birth. Data on mothers and infants also included life histories of mothers, medical and work histories, and first-hand knowledge about friends, moves, drug problems, and other experiences. Most mothers did not talk about time to their children. Among those that did, increased talk about time was associated with increased seriation task scores. Concluding discussion concerns implications of the findings for schools and early intervention programs with young, black inner-city families. References are included. (RH)