Benard, B.  (1996).  Resilience research.  New designs for youth development,12.  4 - 10.
 

This article describes resilience factors for children at risk and the effects of those factors on children’s problem solving skills, autonomy, sense of purpose, and caring relationships.

Hauser-Cram, P., & Shonkoff, J. P. (1988).  Rethinking the assessment of child-focused outcomes. In H. B. Weiss & F. H. Jacobs (Eds.), Evaluating family programs (pp. 73-94).  New York:  Aldine de Gruyter.
 

This chapter provides an overview of issues to be considered in evaluating community-based programs for children. The authors note the historical tendency to focus almost exclusively on intellectual outcomes such as IQ scores, and argue strongly for considering social outcomes.  Discussion of assessment of social competence in children includes general methodology issues, and reviews some measures.

Holzberg, C. S.  (1995).  Technology in special education.  Technology and Learning, 15, 18-23. 
 

This article discusses the usefulness of computer as an aide to special education children.  Effects of computer use on self-esteem and learning ability are discussed.

Schickedanz, J. A.  (1995).  Family socialization and academic achievement.  Journal of Education, 177, 17-38.
 

This article describes factors outside of school that may affect children’s academic success in school.  Both cognitive and social behaviors are affected by home environment, attachment, and interaction between children and their parent(s) and other important people in their lives (e.g., teachers).

Skinner, E. A., Wellborn,  J. G. & Connell,  J. P.  (1990).  What it takes to do well in school and whether I’ve got it:  A process model of perceived control and chlordane’s engagement and achievement in school.  Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 22-32.
 

A new model process model is used to describe how elementary school children’s academic performance is influenced by their beliefs of their in an academic situation.  Three sets of beliefs are examined: control beliefs, strategy beliefs, and capacity beliefs.  How teachers influence children’s beliefs in themselves is also discussed.  

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978).  Mind in society.  Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press.
 

Vygotsky’s conceptual and empirical work is focused on the influences of a child’s environment, including those around him or her, on that child’s development. This article reports on the effects of children’s self-concepts, causal attributions, and thoughts about how helpful teachers are, and how these factors affect children’s efforts and performance in school. 

Walker, R. J.  (1997, September).  Computers should be made available to children of low-income families.  USA Today, 126,  64-66.
 

This article discusses the advantages of computer use to children of low-income families.  Low-income children will be technologically disadvantaged as adults unless they have opportunities to use computers as children.  The academic gap between low-income and middle-class children is discussed.

Ysseldyke, J. E., & Thurlow, M. (1993, October). Developing a model of educational outcomes (NCEO Report No. 1). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, College of Education, National Center on Educational Outcomes.
 

Describes a conceptual model of outcomes and indicators for children developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes which has been adopted by the Children's National Outcome Work Group as an organizing framework. Although designed with public education in mind, the model is adaptable to informal and community-based programs. The eight outcome domains identified in the model are Physical Health, Responsibility and Independence, Contribution and Citizenship, Academic and Functional Literacy, Personal and Social Adjustment, Family Involvement /Accommodation and Adaptation, Satisfaction, and Presence and Participation.