Focusing on the influence of cultural background on learning among black children, this book examines black culture and its effects on childrearing, play behavior, and cognition and explores the development of curricula relevant to blacks. Chapter 1 examines distinctive features of black life in the United States, emphasizing their West African origin and suggesting that black isolation in American society has allowed blacks to preserve cultural patterns. Chapter 2 presents theoretical and research evidence to show that culture can affect cognition and explores the concept of cognitive style among children. Chapter 3 examines black childrearing practices and the significance of families, especially mothers, in the socialization and education of black children. Chapter 4 discusses play behavior as a source of information about black children's cognitive style. Chapter 5 describes a research project that explores the humanities as a source of psychological data about black culture. Chapter 6 reports the results of interviews with black and white grandmothers in Connecticut, to identify differences in childrearing and socialization attitudes between the two groups. Finally, chapter 7 provides suggestions for shaping educational policy concerning black children and describes a model early childhood curriculum that stresses the relationship between culture and education. (Author/MJL)