At the Search Institute in Minneapolis (Minnesota), researchers study 6th-12th graders nationwide, identifying developmental assets to growing up healthy and happy. They suggest that adults surround children with external assets (support, boundaries and expectations, empowerment, and constructive time use) to help them develop values and skills…

Describes a time-limited model for service delivery in kinship programs that provides a system of services to the child, biological parent, and relative caregiver as a union. The model utilizes a family preservation approach and focuses on permanency for the child within a cultural context. (Author/SD)

Reports on an analysis of the family drawings of a nonclinical sample of 502 Barbadian children ages 7-11. Reveals a correlation among sex, age, and household structure and the inclusion or omission of figures, as well as the size and positioning of the figures of parent and self. (MJP)

Reviews literature suggesting that a sociocultural model of infant social development is needed to examine variable influencing infants' interactions with caregivers. Significant variables include familial influences and cultural expectations. Positive development requires that these variables lead to adults who respond appropriately to infant…

Children who had been classified at 12 and 18 months of age according to their attachment to mother and father were observed in play groups and given a social perception test at 5 years. Findings suggest that infant-mother attachment is a more powerful predictor of social competence in preschool than is father attachment or combined mother and…

Discusses effects of peer relationships on preschoolers' social development. Peer acceptance is important for successful social interaction and adjustment to school, whereas antisocial behavior is associated with rejection. Family interaction and experience are connected to peer acceptance. Suggests approaches that teachers may use to facilitate…

This cognitive-behavioral middle school prevention program includes both parent- and teen-based curricula focusing on precursors to problem behavior such as communication, limit setting, problem solving, goal setting, and dealing with negative peer influences. Results from 158 participating families found the program effective in engaging both…

Evaluated prevalence of the co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and conduct problems in a community sample of 10th-grade adolescents participating in a four-year longitudinal study. Found that early hostile parent behavior increased the probability of later occurrence and co-occurrence of elevated depressive symptoms and conduct problems, whereas…

Compared caregiver-child discourse surrounding information and narrative picture books with twelve 4-year-olds. Found that discourse surrounding the informational book was greater in quantity than for the picture book, and contained more cognitively demanding questions, more conditional clauses, and more interactions involving reasoning and…

Examined longitudinally the cognitive and adaptive behavior development of children with disabilities and their families' adaptation over time. Found that children's type of disability predicted trajectories in development of cognition and social and daily living skills. Type of disability also predicted changes in maternal (but not paternal)…

School dropout is a complex social problem. In 1999, more boys (15 %) than girls (9 %) dropped out of Canadian schools prior to graduation (Bowlby and McMullen, 2002). In the United States, Kaufman et al. (2000) evaluated that 5 % more boys than girls dropped out of school. This literature review focuses on the place given to gender within studies…

The authors describe various parenting behaviors, such as nurturance, discipline, teaching, and language use, and explain how researchers measure them. They note racial and ethnic variations in several behaviors. Most striking are differences in language use. Black and Hispanic mothers talk less with their young children than do white mothers and…

The document comprises two issues of a journal devoted to learning and adolescence. Each issue contains articles which were contributed by participants in a conference on learning and adolescence held at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, in 1977. Articles in the Spring issue deal with formation of adolescents' values, observations of…

Catharine Macaulay's "Letters on Education" (1790) examined education's effect on the character, morals, and knowledge needed for citizens of both genders. Macaulay's work is described within a sociopolitical context, examining her views on human nature, educated individuals, and moral education and discussing implementation of her…

Describes how conflict resolution exploring cultural value differences in a high school English-as-a-Second Language curriculum helped teachers and students handle increasing diversity and tensions while reinforcing English language skills. Student surveys, journals, and evaluations indicated that the method helped increase intercultural…