Background: While parenting behaviours have direct effects on children's behavioural outcomes, other, more distal factors also may be shaping the way a mother handles parenting responsibilities. Dispositional factors are likely to be a major influence in determining how one parents. Although researchers have studied the relationships among…

The past decades have seen growth in numbers of children raised by grandparents without their parent at home, called skipped-generation grand-families. This mixed methods study examined statements made by 459 grandmothers about core family relationships between grandmother and child, grandmother and parent, and parent and child. Families were…

The California State University, Long Beach has received a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1995 to carry out a project called "A Head Start on Science." The project's goals were inspired from a book written by world-renowned biologist Rachel Carson entitled "The Sense of Wonder." Carson promoted…

The residential construction industry, like much of today's job market, requires young people to have more analytical reasoning ability and a broader skill base. Along with this comes a deeper understanding of what it means to provide students with "good" soft skills. Soft skills are more than just saying thank you. Choosing a career is…

The RAND Corporation was asked by the Los Angeles County Probation Department to provide assistance in the validation of a risk/needs assessment and Strength-Based Assessment Instrument to be used to objectively measure the risk and needs of minors in Los Angeles County referred to the Probation Department. RAND surveyed existing instruments,…

Reports on a study of resilience leading to academic success among 20 African American urban disadvantaged high school seniors. Data suggest their success was largely due to supportive family, interaction with concerned educators, and the development of the personality traits of perseverance and optimism. (SLD)

This document is a sample framework for elementary school reports. The framework is for an elementary school district that administered the Elementary School California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) in Fall 2004 to fifth-grade students. The CHKS is a comprehensive youth health-risk and resilience data collection service, sponsored by the California…

This report summarizes findings from a study of the psychometric properties of the resilience and youth development module, a key component of the Healthy Kids Survey. The study aims to improve resilience assessment and research so that educators can shape the school environment to promote academic resilience. The Healthy Kids Survey (HKS) is a…

Autism in children has increased significantly in the past 15 years. The challenges and stressors associated with providing services and caring for a child with autism affect families, educators, and health professionals. This descriptive study used a survey to collect data on parents' perceptions of coping strategies and social support.…

A study examined the social processes and internal factors that foster women's participation in technical vocational training at the high school and community college level. Data were collected from traditional and nontraditional female students in California secondary and postsecondary vocational training programs by self-administered…

Assessed the influence of the racial consciousness attitudes and identity of 126 white prospective teachers on their perceptions of the teachability of students of various racial/ethnic backgrounds. Perceptions of these student teachers varied with the race and ethnicity of the students and for cognitive and personal/social variables. (SLD)

The purpose of this article is two-fold; (1) to inform school psychologists of connections between models of school engagement, psychological needs, and strength-based assets and (2) to share data collected with the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) to understand the relationships between academic performance and two environmental protective…

Two studies are reported: "Elements of 'Good Teaching': A Comparison of Education Students' Perceptions in Botswana, California, Finland, and Zimbabwe" (John Yoder, Larry Shaw, Ben Siyakwazi, Kaarina Yli-Renko) and "Intercultural Communication: A Challenge to German Language Teacher Education" (Kaarina Yli-Renko). The first…

This document examines microenterprise development as an employment option for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. The document begins with a brief discussion of the feasibility of self-employment as an option for TANF recipients, particularly in a slow economy. The next section answers policy questions pertaining to the…