Five different views of the child can be discerned in educational literature. These views reflect five roles that the child can be seen as taking in the classroom: community member, information processor, person, recipient and object. Anyone who considers an educational program in light of these five views will probably find that the program incorporates more than one. At some point in the development of an educational program, the child might be considered in terms of each of these views. Thus, the five views can be used as a screen to evaluate program statements in terms of how the child is viewed, or as a research tool in analyzing categories of program statements. Currently the five views are being used in considering state guidelines for teacher preparation. (Author/RH)