MacArthur Network on Successful Pathways Through Middle Childhood Purpose and Origins Major Program Elements

Purpose and Origins Imagine a group of children on their first day of kindergarten - their eyes bright, eager with anticipation. Although they have arrived at this moment from different backgrounds and experiences, with different senses of their own accomplishments and abilities, on this day they all share feelings of pride, optimism, and excitement. Their parents, too, share a sense of hope and aspiration, of possibilities waiting to be fulfilled. Now picture these same children in their third grade classroom. While some are engaged and responsive, others appear disaffected and uninvolved in classroom activities. For these children, the promise of school has not materialized; they seem poorly motivated and disengaged. Their parents' expectations, too, are growing dim - and with reason: success or failure in the early years of schooling can have significant consequences for a child's later accomplishments, leaving him or her unprepared for an increasingly competitive world. What influences and experiences contribute to the different outcomes for children during their first school years? And how can the likelihood of successful outcomes be increased? The Network on Successful Pathways through Childhood was established to address these questions. This network builds on the work of a previous network on early childhood transitions; it focuses on children from the time they enter school until the early stirrings of adolescence. Major Program Elements The network includes experts in the fields of anthropology, developmental and cross-cultural psychology, economics, education, the history of childhood, pediatrics, social policy, sociology, and urban geography. Their work is designed to link them with the program's other developmental networks and to reflect the latest advances in the field. While school is a major focus of the network's research, the investigators are also looking at other important contexts, including family, community, and culture, as well as children's individual differences. They will attempt to capture the diversity of influences and experiences represented by people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and economic circumstances. The network encompasses several major areas of research: Continuity across the life span. The network is aiming to link early and middle childhood development with development in adolescence and adulthood. Context. The network seeks to understand child development in the contexts in which it takes place, with particular attention to the critical roles of the family and school. Psychological processes. Children interact with their contexts through psychological processes that help them make meaning of their experiences. The network is looking at the way these processes are influenced by and lead to the development of beliefs, values, attitudes, and goals that guide their future behavior. Diversity. The network's approach recognizes and explores the diversity of families' and children's experiences, including the ways these experiences differ for boys and girls, for ethnic minority children, and for children, and for children living in conditions of economic disadvantage. Intervention. The network will use the knowledge emerging from developmental research to design and study interventions that promote optimal development and enhance the well-being of children and families. HomePage

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