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Training Materials The R Factor was created in response to a successful middle school curriculum at Dads Make a Difference. The middle school curriculum builds awareness of the issues of paternity and father involvement. The high school curriculum immerses the student in case studies, discussion of complex social issues, and expert articles, challenging the student to plan for self-improvement and a healthy future and gives students a chance to learn an invaluable skill--teach them to build resiliency.The R Factor can be completed in eight to ten class periods and allows for flexibility and optional activities…
Rev. Rick Meyer contends that when children do not have the assurance of knowing they are deeply loved and cherished, persistent emotional deficits often result. Males experience and express these deficits in unique ways. The boys and men profiled in I Love You, Son reflect the struggles of adolescent boys and adult males as they face their own emotional deficits in relation to God, self, and others. This unique contribution to the topic of being male today encourages men's efforts as husbands and fathers and extends the words of God--"Behold, my son, whom I love" (Matthew 3:17)--to all men…
The mission of this book is to give dads short, practical ideas to build a quality relationship with their 8- 12-year-old sons.Dad, build a lasting bridge to your son's heart. This critical period when he's between eight and twelve years of age is the time to build an unbreakable bond with your son. But how do you forge a strong and resilient relationship that can withstand those potentially turbulent teenage years lying just up ahead? Dad's Everything Book for Sons is a practical, hands-on manual for dads who have the will but aren't quite sure of the way to give their sons the legacy of a…
This report discusses six programs being considered by the 108th Congress for reauthorization, focusing on policies designed to assist disconnected and at-risk youth. The review seeks to identify how the programs do or do not consider at-risk or disconnected youth ad how such programs might be improved. After an introduction by Alan Houseman, six papers include: "The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and Disconnected Youth" (Cynthia G. Brown and Andy Hartman); "The Higher Education Act and Disconnected Youth" (Thomas R. Wolanin); "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and…
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Journal Article By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families. Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth. Children turned out to be like their parents in stature, activity level, vocabulary resources, and language and interaction styles. Follow-up data indicated that the 3-year-old measures of accomplishment predicted third grade school achievement.
This chapter describes a grant program spearheaded by the Sisters of Charity Foundation to reduce poverty by addressing fatherlessness in South Carolina. The foundation created a partnership with the University of South Carolina and concerned communities across South Carolina to analyze the fatherless problem, develop a plan for strategic action, and initiate a planning process. The process resulted in six funded programs representing an investment of $2.2 million by the Sisters of Charity Foundation. The majority of those served by programs will be African American men and their children.…
This interactive handbook teaches fathers how to contribute to their child's academic success. It lets them know that parents are a child's most important teachers and role models, and encourages them to play an active role in their child' education, even if they don't live together. Includes information on parents' rights, and a list of fatherhood resources. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article This study examines the role of biological and social fathers in the lives of low-income African American adolescent girls (N= 302). Sixty-five percent of adolescents identified a primary father; two thirds were biological and one third were social fathers. Adolescents reported more contentious and less close relationships with biological than with social fathers. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that daughters' perceptions of anger and alienation from fathers was related to greater emotional and behavioral problems for adolescents, whereas perceptions of trust and communication…
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Journal Article This study of 2,722 British adolescents aged 14-18 years explored whether paternal involvement can protect against low levels of well-being even when maternal involvement and risk and protective factors are controlled for. Results showed that although both father and mother involvement contributed significantly and independently to offspring happiness, father involvement had a stronger effect. Furthermore, the association between father involvement and happiness was not stronger for sons than for daughters. There was no evidence suggesting that family disruption weakens the association…
This fact sheet discusses the influence fathers have on children's health habits. Two of the most important modeling behaviors fathers can provide are their own diet and exercise habits. A 1999 study by Child Trends concluded that, "the most serious threat to the health of American children is the behavior of their own parents." Other research has found that families whose fathers modeled and supported good eating habits tended to eat more meals together, watch TV less, and exercise more often.
