This essay explores narratives of mothering a child with disabilities. The narratives reflect the author's personal experience raising a disabled child and the experiences of three other mothers also raising children with disabilities. This study takes the reader on a journey of exploration into how mothers of disabled children navigate public…

According to the medical profession the direction and scope of reproductive services such as IVF and pre-natal screening are based on solid evidence; the evidence indicates these are effective and safe services. Moreover, women want them. As a consequence these services are usually presented to the wider community in a positive light with images…

In this article, the author, who has a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), shares her concerns about the stereotypes that too often surround the disorder. She suggests that because most biases and stereotypes are born of ignorance and misinformation, it is important that parents and educators do their part to…

Describes the activities of three 11- to 13-year-old cousins and one two-year-old during a family vacation. Discusses the youngsters' swings from adult-like behavior to childish rambunctiousness in terms of adult expectations and attitudes. (CB)

Data from this ethnographic study of kindergartens in three communities suggest that teachers, parents, and the school as an institution interacted to develop a social interpretation of school readiness. This interpretation framed children's kindergarten experience in each community. (BC)

Despite the intense focus on the achievement gap that exists between African American, Latino, and other students of color and their White counterparts, the achievement gap discourse keeps us locked in the deficit paradigm. This article challenges us to look at the inherent fallacies of the achievement gap discourse and place students' academic…

William Galston posed two dilemmas about parental rights and education in "Liberal Purposes". The first of these arises from conflict between the proper ends of civic education in a liberal society and the values that some parents will want to honor in the way they rear their children; the second arises from conflict between how the basic…

In this article, I offer a response to Adam Swift's book, "How Not to be A Hypocrite: School Choice for the Morally Perplexed Parent", by developing some reflections on the nature, value and limits of parental partiality. I address two main issues. First, I consider the issue of how we should interpret the character and value of parental…

The caring and nurturing of children, which characterize primary education culture, have tended to shape a public perception of primary teaching as "women's work." Several social factors influence men's underrepresentation in the profession of primary education, such as parents not wanting their children exposed to "soft"…

The potential intended and unintended impact of parental rights initiatives on public education and child welfare agencies and on existing laws demands further scrutiny of the legislation and of its proponents and their motivations. Proponents assert that parental rights initiatives would guarantee parents' rights to direct the upbringing of their…

In this speech, given at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Education on April 22, 2005, Professor Payne discusses the complexity of race relations in the Chicago School System. He begins by defining the racial baggage carried by both white and black individuals in the school system, and continues to address the following…

Social policy influences black wives' employment policies, regardless of occupation. The factors that influence a wife's working come from various social or societal levels--the individual, the family, and the wider society or environment. Individual characteristics supporting the black women's strong attachment to the world of work are her…

Maintains that the past two decades have seen a remarkable growth in alternative education options, particularly home schooling. Asserts that the parents' religious and moral beliefs are primary reasons for the home schooling movement. Reviews research on home schooling and calls for more relevant lines of inquiry. (CFR)

The context of Japanese childrearing has changed during the postwar era. Noting that "new" observations concerning childrearing and socialization may not actually be new, this volume establishes continuity with past researchers by integrating the past half-century of cross-cultural research on Japanese childrearing and socialization,…