A discussion of bilingualism in Australia begins with examination of the climate there for development of bilingualism, including specific supportive policies at both state and federal levels, increasing support for bilingualism within local communities, research providing evidence of the benefits of bilingualism, and technological developments…

Parents today are tagged as a generation preoccupied with work and themselves but at the same time overly focused on their children. This book attempts to explain this paradox. It explores the ways in which social, cultural, and psychological changes have come together with a new definition of the child to create a situation in which parenthood…

Early educational enrichment is a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of low achievement, school dropout, and dysfunctional adult behaviors. The article examines major areas related to preschool and school functioning that require consciousness raising and activism during early childhood education, suggesting ways to help sustain children's…

Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores are widely accepted as measures of academic potential. However, both hereditary and environmental factors also play a role in performance. The limitations of IQ tests require that they be handled differently when administered to students from backgrounds other than the dominant cultural group. In addition,…

Noting that although the causes of violence are highly complex and multifaceted, this book argues that a growing body of scientific knowledge demonstrates that maltreatment during the 9 months of fetal growth and the first 24 months after birth often leads to violent older children and adults. Following an introduction, the book contains the…

This book discusses homeless families in the United States and advocates the efforts of residential educational and employment training centers--American Family Inns--which provide comprehensive services education, job training, and parenting and life skills to address the poverty-related conditions that contribute to homelessness. Chapters of the…

The essays in this book emphasize trends now shaping society that the authors believe will have a profound effect on schools in the decades to come. Topics covered include declining enrollments and increasing educational costs, the changing role of vocational education, government financing for educational quality, the role of busing, politicking…

Focusing on the not-yet-conventional ways in which young children write and read--their nature, contexts, and significance for continuing literacy development, this book presents the perspective that children's early reading and writing behaviors are not pre- anything, but are integral parts of an incipient language process. Following an…

This paper addresses ways ways in which African-American families can influence their children's development, usually with guidance from school or other community agents. We discuss the importance of "discipline styles" for effective parenting and emphasize an approach to family involvement in child development utilizing a child's strengths. We…

The Stanford-Berkeley Seminar on School Finance and Organization was convened to reexamine the problems that underlay the educational finance reform movement, to consider the new problems caused by that movement, and to recommend research topics and study areas that could help alleviate those problems in years to come. The eight papers discussed…

Attended by participants from 19 nations, this conference focused on six topics related to child and adolescent development. Major topics discussed included child development and related issues, curriculum and the adolescent, the adolescent and technological changes, and the preparation of youth for adulthood. Symposia focusing on child…