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 mothers and other primary caregivers of kindergarten children completed a version of the Educational Attitude Scale and reported their intended involvement in home and school learning activities. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 21 parents. Regardless of their own educational level, participants favored adult-directed, formally academic strategies for promoting children's learning and development. Behavioral expectations were especially high for African-American boys, particularly among less educated parents. Positive correlations between sets of items describing developmentally inappropriate and appropriate practices reflected a tendency to approve of both formal, paper-and-pencil learning and informal, concrete methods. This response pattern contrasts with patterns identified in previous research with affluent white parents and early childhood teachers, who made sharp distinctions between these educational approaches. Results suggest that most African-American parents support all attempts to enhance their children's learning and that theoretical distinctions are not salient. (MM)