The issue of parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child, or in the case of serious family medical problems, is discussed. Testimonies include: (1) general statements on the need for legislation regarding family and medical leave; (2) personal case histories involving the need for parental leave; and (3) presentations of official…

Describes the Parent and Child Education (PACE) program, a statewide family literacy program in Kentucky that promotes positive attitudes toward schooling and academic achievement. PACE focuses on parents' basic skills, children's learning skills, and parents' child care skills. (FMW)

Drawing on a decade of research by top experts on children up to the age of ten, this book challenges the belief that early risk factors and problems severely constrain a child's life chances. The book explores the range of effective parenting techniques and social supports, programs, and policies to make the case that young children's education…

The mere act of living in today's society is dangerous to the health and well-being of children and adolescents. The concept of the socially toxic environment is offered as a parallel to the environmental movement's analysis of physical toxicity. Social life is more risky than it was just 40 years ago, and the level of social and cultural poison…

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the reasons why girls and young women smoke, drink and use drugs, and what increases or lowers their risk of substance abuse. It demonstrates that certain key risk factors for substance abuse are unique to girls and young women and pose a greater threat to them than to boys and young men. This…

Examines the effects of state policy, sociodemographic composition, and school structure on high school dropout rates in 1980. Reports that total educational expenditures per students' average daily attendance is a significant determinant of school structure with indirect effect on dropout rates. Concludes that family structure is a critical…

The purpose of this pamphlet is to aid teachers, counselors, administrators, paraprofessionals, and other support personnel in alleviating the problem of missing and abducted children. After an introductory overview of the national incidence of missing children, three specific categories of missing children are identified and discussed: runaways,…

Issues are discussed and recommendations are offered to policymakers on the preparation of practitioners to work with infants, toddlers, and their families. Section I examines eforts to define "competence" for practitioners and programs. Section II describes in detail four key elements of training for infant/family practitioners, illustrating how…

Volunteers can make significant contributions in service to children and youth both by working on behalf of education and by augmenting the learning that schools provide. The merger of the National School Volunteer Program and the National Symposium on Partnerships in Education to form the National Association of Partners in Education is seen as…

This publication reflects the philosophy and support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation for early childhood care and development. It highlights different approaches to early childhood care and development and explains why the foundation believes that investing in early childhood is one of the best ways of building a brighter, better future. The…

The resurgence of interest in parent involvement in education comes at a time when the traditional roles of both the school and the family are under great stress. The contemporary concept of parent involvement refers to parents initiating learning activities at home to improve their children's performance at school. Used most broadly, parent…

As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report reviews the research about early childhood brain development, examines the…

This interim report documents early experiences with recruitment, retention, service delivery, and establishment of links with employment/training and child support enforcement agencies for participants in the first year of a young unwed fathers program; and presents a profile of the 228 young fathers who had enrolled in the program by the end of…

This publication discusses policy issues, practices, and research related to parent involvement in education in the United States. Written for local school boards, professional staff who work with boards, and interested parents, the paper calls for policies that will encourage parents to assist in their children's educational development. After an…

Compelling evidence from neuroscience about how early relationships and experience influence the architecture of the brain, and in turn early school success, has led to increasing policy and practice attention to implementing child development and family support programs like Early Head Start for infants and toddlers. But, there is also a group of…