Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1: Demographics: A Portrait of African American Children and African American Adolescents -- Overview -- Section One: Population Statistics on African American Children and African American Adolescents -- Section Two: Living Arrangements of African American Children -- Section Three: Economic Conditions of African American Children and Their Families -- African American Children and African American Adolescents with Parents in the Criminal Justice System -- Section Four: Perspectives on Demographics and African American Children and Adolescents -- Additional Reading -- Video Resources -- Website Resources -- Chapter 2: Research Issues with African American Children and Adolescents -- Overview: The Importance of Studying Developmental Research Methods -- Section One: Problems-methodological Constraints in Research Designs -- Section Two: Conducting Culturally Relevant Research with African American Children and Adolescents -- The Need for Culturally Sensitive Research with African American Youth -- Conceptual Frameworks and Interdisciplinarity -- The Role of Context in African American Child Development -- The Relationship to African American Child Development and Central Characteristics in Developmental Psychology -- Ethical Considerations with African American Child and Adolescent Participants -- Section Three: Theories -- Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory -- Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory -- Phenomenological Variant to the Ecological Systems Theory -- Integrative Conceptual Model of Child Development -- Section Four: Perspectives on Research and Theories -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- Web Resources -- Videos -- Discussion Questions -- Chapter 3: Health Issues and African American Children and Adolescents -- Overview.

Section One: Health Challenges -- Infant Mortality -- Maternal Risk Factors -- Initiatives Designed to Reduce African American Infant Mortality Rates -- Section Two: Physical Challenges Beyond Infancy -- Aids -- Plumbism -- Sickle-cell Anemia -- Asthma -- Obesity -- African American Adolescents and Health Issues -- Pregnancy Prevention, HIV/STD Programs Designed for African American Teens -- Section Three: Access to Health Care -- Perspectives on the Health Status of African American Children and Adolescents -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- Infant Mortality -- Health Issues -- Web Resources -- Videos -- Discussion Questions -- Chapter 4: Mental Health Issues and Racial Identity of African American Children and Adolescents -- Overview -- Section One: Mental Health Issues -- Mental Health Status on African American Children and African American Adolescents -- Risk Factors -- Assessment And Diagnosis -- Treatment of Mental Health Disorders -- Section Two: Racial Identity -- Modifiability Studies -- Self-concept and Racial Attitudes in African Americans -- Cognitive Level and Racial Attitudes -- The Doll Test and the 21st Century -- African American Adolescents and Racial Identity Development -- Perspectives on Mental Health and Racial Identity -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- Racial Socialization -- Racial Identity Development -- Mental Health and Resiliency Models -- Assessment and Diagnosis -- Treatment -- Web Resources -- Videos -- Programs -- Discussion Questions -- Chapter 5: Education and African American Children and Adolescents -- Overview -- Section One: School Desegregation and African American Children -- Placement in Special Education Classes -- Teacher Attitudes, Expectations, and Teaching Styles -- Academic Self-concept and Peer Influence -- Alienation of African American Parents from the Educational System.

Section Two: Schools that Work for African American Children and African American Adolescents -- Public School Models -- Charter Schools -- Independent Black Schools -- Schools that work for African American High School Students -- School Legislation and African American Children -- Section Three: African American Children and Early-Intervention Programs -- Head Start -- High/scope Perry Preschool Project -- The Abecedarian Project -- Perspectives on Education and African American Children and Adolescents -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- Desegregation -- Education -- Schools that Work -- Websites -- Videotapes on Education and African American Children -- Discussion Questions -- Chapter 6: Language and Literacy -- Overview -- Section One: The Controversy -- Section Two: Language Learning and African American Children -- Distribution of Critical Functions: Primary Language Source -- Type of Talk Addressed to Children and Expectations of Their Roles as Conversationalists -- Uses of Oral and Written Information -- Expectation of Variants of Language to Be Learned -- Judgments of the Competence of Children -- Section Three: Language and Literacy Issues -- Section Four: Language and Literacy Intervention Programs for African American Children -- Language Intervention Programs -- Literacy Intervention Programs -- Section Five: Language Assessment and African American Children: Distinguishing Dialect from a Speech-Language Disorder -- Contrasting Linguistic Features -- Training in AAVE -- Spontaneous Speech Samples -- Other Forms of Discourse -- Comprehensive Assessment -- Perspectives on Language Learning and Literacy and African American Children -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- The Controversy -- Language and Literacy Issues -- Intervention -- Assessment -- Video Resources -- Web Resources -- Discussion Questions.

Chapter 7: Moral Development -- Overview -- The Issues -- Section One: Theories of Moral Development -- Piaget's Theory -- Kohlberg's Theory: The Ethics of Justice -- Criticisms of Piaget's and Kohlberg's Theories -- Heinz Steals the Drug -- Gilligan's Theory: The Ethics of Care -- Gibbs's Sociomoral Reasoning Model -- Humphries' Culture and Empathy Model -- Turiel's Domain Theory: Moral Rules and Social Conventions -- Section Two: Aggressive Behavior and African American Children -- Section Three: Prosocial Behavior and African American Children -- Possible Factors Influencing Prosocial Behavior in African American Children -- Section Four: Racial Identity Development and Morality -- Section Five: Community Violence and Moral Development -- Perspectives on African American Youth and Moral Development -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- Websites -- Videos -- Discussion Questions -- Chapter 8: Social Contexts in the Lives of African American Children and African American Adolescents -- Overview -- The Issues -- Section One: Models of the African American Family -- Pathological Model -- Cultural Equivalent Model -- Emergent Model -- Ecology Models of the Family -- Guiding Principles of Family Systems Theory -- External Systems Affecting the Family -- Section Two: African American Family Structure and Child Development -- Nuclear Family -- African American Single-parent Families -- Other Types of Families -- Section Three: Neighborhoods and Communities -- Section Four: The Peer Group -- African American Children's Peer Relationships -- African American Children's Friendships -- Race and Bullying -- Section Five: Media Exposure and Usage -- Perspectives on African American Children and Social Contexts -- Chapter Summary -- Additional Reading -- Family Structure -- Theoretical Models and African American Families in General -- Websites -- Videos.

Discussion Questions -- Chapter 9: Epilogue: Where do We Go from Here? -- Poverty -- Cultural Diversity Within the African American Population -- Family Constellation -- Health Care -- Education -- Violence -- Mass Incarceration of Neighborhoods -- References -- Index.