Family structure, student gender, and family environment were related to academic performance and school behavior in a study of 96 boys and 123 girls in the eighth grade. Together, gender, family structure, family conflict, and encouragement accounted for about 18 percent of the variability on performance and behavior. (SLD)

This article addresses the need to refocus the view of the natural environment as a family-chosen placement for early intervention services. Psycho-ecological theories are used to broaden the conception of the natural environment and illuminate possibilities for early intervention that utilize community and home resources while respecting family…

The education profession as well as the public do not need exposure to more one-sided opinions about the need for academic preschools, about how to generate higher standards, about how poorly United States schools perform as compared to schools in other industrialized nations, and about other potentially volatile issues. In responding to the…

After an introductory discussion and review of literature on divorce among Jewish families, this document presents and analyzes two case studies which show the adverse effect of divorce and child-custody battles on the children of Jewish families who subsequently plan a B'nai Mitzvah (Bar or Bat Mitzvah) ceremony--a joyous ritual of initiation…

The relationship among socio-economic status, sibling variables, social-psychological home environment, parent involvement in intervention programs, and child self-concept and achievement were empirically investigated to determine the importance and kind of parent participation most closely related to childrens' cognitive and affective…

Categorizes motor, emotional reaction, social, and academic tasks that will enable parents to assess a child's educational readiness for school. Provides a parent self-rating scale to assess standing as a reading role model for children and a checklist to rate how conducive the home environment may be to school achievement. (NEC)

Examines the recent history of early childhood intervention efforts; discusses principles that guided the formation of intervention programs in the 1960s and 1970s; describes the Head Start program and lessons learned from its development; considers issues in evaluating intervention programs; and presents suggestions for future directions in early…

Explains the differences between systemic and linear approaches to behavior, and provides examples of how the school-based consultant can intervene from a systems perspective, using interviews, short-term family counseling, and teacher consultation. Issues and cautions about using a systemic approach are presented. (Author)

Reviewed research findings with respect to family influences on student achievement. Identified five family and home environmental factors that affect student achievement and whose effects may be altered through intervention: parent expectations and attributions, structure for learning, home affective environment, discipline, and parent…

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,…

Examined normative expectations regarding changes in a child's physical custody following divorce. Subjects (n=309), responding to a vignette about a divorced couple and their 16-year-old son, yielded no significant main or interaction effects. However, themes in open-ended responses, such as the child's wishes should prevail, were apparent. (RJM)

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)

Several theoretical perspectives regarding the manner in which parental behavior might increase the probability that an adolescent will engage in dating violence were tested using 113 adolescent males. Frequent exposure to corporal punishment increased the risk of dating violence; interparental aggression did not. Low support and involvement by…

Highlights the importance of home-Head Start partnerships in helping children learn and behave in optimal fashion. Provides four ideas that could help strengthen the home-Head Start partnerships already underway in center programs: (1) the play and learn system; (2) the educational display; (3) the parent-teacher communication system; and (4) the…