Discusses the home-based option for delivering services to Head Start families. Suggests that the key to successful programs is group socialization, providing social settings outside the home for parents to expand parenting skills. Suggests ways of involving parents in socialization activities, extending learning from home to group setting,…

Discusses correlations between children's academic competence and parents' values, beliefs, behavior, and knowledge of child learning and development. Offers goals for parent education. (BC)

Examines the barriers faced by preschool children with visual impairments in gaining access to the environment and presents some approaches to reducing those barriers. The importance of early identification, early intervention, a team approach for the provision of educational services, and parent participation is discussed. (CR)

Reviews the literature on the foster family characteristics that are thought to contribute to the behavioral and emotional problems of foster children. The review is shaped by an understanding of the personal and familial factors associated with children's problem behaviors. Factors include parenting, family home environment, family functioning,…

A challenge for the 1990s is the implementation of prevention strategies that strengthen protective factors in families, schools, and communities. Protective factors refer to positive action strategies that build resiliency in youth. After a brief overview of protection factor research, the major protective factors that contribute to the…

To gain a basic understanding of some factors (i.e., community composition, family environment, and general retention of Mexican values) influencing the vocational aspirations of the Mexican American, several studies are reviewed. The literature reviewed disproves some of the common stereotypes as deterministic ethnic factors for the vocational…

This paper discusses mass media images of family life, the impact of media on families and evidence concerning sexually explicit programing. Section One identifies characteristics of family images (including sex-related differences and typical themes) found in women's magazines, comic strips, films, children's books and television. Television…

Describing the early reader as one who has learned to read informally at home before formal schooling has begun, this paper reviews the literature on two aspects of early reading. The first aspect considered is the home environment of the early reader and the interactions with his or her parents. The second aspect considered is the process by…

The optional functioning of the family unit is dependent on the health and happiness of each family member. When the wife is professionally trained and yet feels "trapped" by the presence of children in the home with no available transportation, baby-sitting, or part-time employment options, the family unit can suffer or the wife suffers. The…

This paper reviews the research literature in the area of family communication and reports on what is known about communicaton in the homes of emotionally disturbed children. It then reviews and summarizes the patterns of communication cited in the literature that seem unique to such homes, including extreme emotional distance between parents, a…

Studies in the 1960s showed that school reform has little effect on reducing achievement differences associated with social background. More recent studies have indicated that schools can be effective for disadvantaged students if systematic efforts are made to develop effective leadership and improve the teaching-learning process. (SK)

Reviews research relevant to family-based adolescent health promotion, focusing on efforts to prevent problems and encourage healthy development. Discusses family processes that appear central to healthy adolescent functioning, including attachment, reducing disharmony, and encouraging responsibility. Describes selected family interventions,…

Discusses the implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, including progress made since 1989, and aims of early childhood education under the convention's mission and ideals. Proposes that the convention should be enacted in domestic law and become a reality in day-to-day teaching, thus ensuring that the philosophy of the…

Reviews and integrates research on the short-term and long-term impact of different forms of child maltreatment. Notes that scant studies concerning physical and motor development suggest psychobiological consequences of abuse; studies on social and emotional development indicate significant impact of abuse; and studies of cognitive/academic…

Summarizes research on disabled children's effects on families and families' influences on children's adjustment. Offers (1) guidelines for family support programs involving school-home partnerships; (2) cautionary notes on provision of family support programs; and (3) methods for preparing professionals for such programs. (BC)