Children learn, with or without teachers. They absorb knowledge from whatever environment they are in. The type of environment conducive to children's learning depends largely on adults. Adults have always professed to love children. Less often have they professed a need to respect them. Many are the adults who believe that the role of the child…

Using examples from family letters sent to the Department of Education's Elementary Correspondence School (ECS) in the western Canadian province of British Columbia in the early twentieth century, this article discusses three potential problems or traps associated with concepts of agency in the history of children and youth. Following a brief…

This paper will explore the balance between children's rights and parental responsibility from a family systems perspective. Children do not grow up in a vacuum; they are part of a biological, psychological and social system. The interaction of the child and parent within this system must include the development of responsibilities by the parent…

In this article, the authors suggest that current notions of advocacy in early childhood education should be expanded to include a view of young children as citizens. The authors ground their discussion in a how-to book project in Providence, Rhode Island, consider different concepts of children and citizenship, share commentary from City Hall and…

Children's participation is increasingly ambiguous and contested. Such complexity emerges in response to its emancipatory possibilities as well as unresolved tensions and power practices. The authors argue that closer attention must now be given to the interpretative milieu of children's participation, that is, to the act of dialogue that has…

This article describes the findings from a qualitative study that explored the views of a small group of Australian children about their involvement in decision-making processes following their parents' separation. Sixteen children, aged between seven and 17 years, participated in in-depth interviews that focused on their understandings of the…

Considers homework as an issue in the effort to define children's role as active participants in their lives. Notes the tension created as children attempt to find a place for themselves in their families and schools, the debates about children's rights, and the prescriptive approach of public policy toward homework. (JPB)

Proposes rethinking citizenship so as to include children, maintaining that such thinking can prompt consideration of the similarity of concerns confronting children and adults. Argues that we need to rethink the value of the language of rights and its social significance. Concludes with examination of the requirements of such a vision of…

Research and theory appear to indicate that adolescents may be as capable as adults of rendering competent decisions regarding their own medical treatment. Professionals who provide treatment for minors should attempt to determine how each child can participate in decision making affecting his or her own welfare. (Author/MJL)

Reviews the historical context and the contents of the United Nations 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, with particular reference to its ratification and implementation in Sweden. Describes the preamble and articles related to the provision of services/care, protection from mistreatment, and children's participation in decisions.…

Examines children's participation in public life in relation to the tension between control and self-realization found in late modernity. Argues that social tension is created through the conflict between recognition of children as persons in their own right and public policy marked by intensification of control of children creating a view of…

Reviews data on child poverty worldwide, providing statistics on 20 poverty-related problems. Examines effects of economic factors (i.e., unemployment, wage stagnation, inflation, and internal migration) and political policies (i.e., military spending over health and education) on child well-being, arguing that families and children themselves…

Argues that discourses on children and participation in Norway are linked to international children's rights discourses as well as to Norwegian cultural context. Focuses on how different constructions of children as participants are related to discourses on sustainable local communities. Describes supporting empirical studies and summarizes…

John Stuart Mill viewed children in a more favorable light than is generally believed. Mill wished to protect children from society's bad influences long enough for their individual personalities and talents to develop. Complexities that arise in applying a liberal theory to the education of the immature are discussed. (PP)

Discusses literature on children's community participation and analyzes case studies on children's involvement in neighborhood improvement in Finland, Switzerland, and France. Case-study findings indicate that the creation of child-friendly environments with young people requires a shift toward more ecological and socially supportive settings with…