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The book-publishing industry is all abuzz over electronic books. E-book advocates say they will revolutionize reading, much as Gutenberg's invention of movable type did more than 500 years ago. Electronic books, they say, provide useful computerized features along with portability and durability. Many bibliophiles, however, sneer at the digitized products. They rhapsodize about the feel of ink-on-paper books as well as useful features of print products that they say e-books lack. Consumer acceptance is uncertain. The $200 to $600 price tag for handheld e-book readers is one barrier. In addition, only a small percentage of books are now available in electronic format. But e-book entrepreneurs are working hard to expand the market and say that prices will come down as that happens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, 425,000 undocumented immigrants -- far more people than are held in federal prisons -- were held in the 250 detention centers run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Most of the detainees were awaiting deportation or a ruling on their eligibility to remain in the United States, including thousands of Central American mothers and children seeking asylum from gang violence at home. While most detainees move through the system in days or weeks, some are held for months or even years waiting for backlogged immigration courts to settle their cases. Critics say the detention system leads to physical and mental abuse, the breakup of immigrant families and, in some cases, death by suicide or neglect. Most detainees pose no risk of flight or criminal behavior and should be free pending their hearings, immigrant supporters contend. But groups seeking tighter curbs on immigration say detention is necessary to protect public safety and to ensure that undocumented immigrants do not disappear into the general population before their cases are decided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars estimate that about 2 million Americans ages 5 through 17 are home schooled. That's less than 4 percent of the total U.S. noncollege student population but double the number 15 years ago. Parents from a wide spectrum of ethnic, religious and political backgrounds home school, many to accommodate their children's unique learning needs. Scholarly research suggests, however, that most home-school families are white, politically conservative evangelical Christians who reject public schools for religious or moral reasons. After decades of advocacy against government supervision, home-schoolers in most states operate with little or no oversight of their curriculum, teaching methods or other practices. As home education has grown, a few cases of abuse and educational neglect have come to light, raising the question of whether more should be done to protect home-schooled children's interests. And with more parents saying they home school to provide their children with individualized learning, some analysts wonder whether public schools should adopt more such approaches as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One in five American children lives in a household with income below the poverty line — $22,050 for a family of four. Not only are the daily lives of poor children difficult, but experts worry that many will suffer lifelong effects from early deprivation. Concern about child poverty has grown especially strong amid a push in Congress for sweeping budget cuts, including reductions in spending on food stamps and other anti-poverty programs. As child poverty continues to rise amid the nation's persistent economic woes and high unemployment, a long-simmering debate over the problem's root causes is heating up. Liberals argue that fewer children would fall into poverty if the government safety net were stronger and more jobs were available for struggling parents. Conservatives, on the other hand, say child poverty largely stems from parental behavior — particularly a growing tendency to have children out of wedlock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost half of all American children must cope, at some point in their lives, with the disintegration of their parents' marriage. A controversial new study by psychiatrist Judith Wallerstein contends that the children of divorce are much more likely to be troubled as adults and that couples with kids need to try harder to remain married. But critics describe the study as unscientific and argue that bad marriages often end up doing more harm than good to the whole family. Child-advocacy experts also disagree over the impact of custody arrangements. Some favor joint physical custody because they say it allows both parents to remain involved in their children's lives. But others say that forcing a child to live in two homes is disruptive and makes an already difficult situation worse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty years of high divorce rates and risingbirth rates among unwed mothers have left the United States a nation of fatherless households. More than a third of American children don't live with their biological fathers, and 17 million don't live with any fathers at all. Of those, about 40 percent haven't seen their fathers in a year. As the nation prepares to honor fathers on June 18, child-development experts are hoping a growing nonpartisan, multiracial, "responsible fatherhood" movement, dedicated to reconnecting estranged dads with their kids, will help increase fathers' involvement in their kids' lives. But some question whether having fathers involved in children's lives is essential, while others say that some of the movement's goals -- such as promoting marriage and joint custody -- will hurt mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The child-poverty rate has declined slowly since 1993, and the rate of black child poverty is the lowest in history. But 13.5 million American children still live in poverty -- the highest rate of any industrialized country. Conservatives attribute the decline to welfare reform, which forced millions of single welfare mothers to go to work. But child advocates like the Children's Defense Fund say that progress in reducing child poverty has slowed markedly and that cuts in social service programs made the poorest families poorer. Meanwhile, child advocates question why states are amassing huge surpluses in federal welfare funds and why food banks and homeless shelters are seeing more and more children of the working poor, even as Congress dawdles in raising the minimum wage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American youth are in worse physical shape than earlier generations, many fitness experts claim. According to the U.S. surgeon general, only about one-half of U.S. children get regular exercise, and one-fourth don't take part in physical activity at all. As a result, obesity among children and adolescents has increased substantially since the 1960s. The conveniences of modern life - notably television, video games and computers - get much of the blame for creating a nation of youthful couch potatoes. In addition, school officials often scale back or eliminate physical education programs when budget squeezes occur. Nonetheless, innovative physical educators are working to reverse the trend by acquainting kids with activities that interest them - and that can help them maintain fitness throughout life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's advocates have won two hard battles in recent years to improve what kids watch on TV. A Federal Communications Commission rule taking effect this fall requires broadcasters to air at least three hours of educational programming each week. And most of the television industry agreed last month to include content advisories on TV programs for possibly objectionable material, such as sex or violence. The educational-programming rule is spawning new shows. And the ratings system - to be used with the mandatory "V-chip" on new TV sets - promises to help parents monitor their children's viewing. But one network, NBC, is refusing to participate in the ratings system, calling it unworkable. And advocacy groups acknowledge uncertainty about how parents will use the new system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservative lawmakers and the Religious Right say liberal bureaucrats, courts and legislators have usurped parents' authority over their children. They have mounted an aggressive campaign to win new parental rights guarantees in state constitutions and federal law. On Nov. 5, Coloradans will vote on a constitutional amendment giving parents the "inalienable" right "to direct and control the upbringing, education, values and discipline of their children." Sponsors in 27 other states are pushing similar amendments, and parental rights legislation has been introduced in Congress. A broad coalition of opponents argues that parental rights laws are dangerous and unnecessary. Such laws would not only put children at new risk for abuse, they say, but also throw schools into gridlock and lead to costly lawsuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing debate over "family values" entered a new phase this past year as activists launched a renewed push to toughen divorce laws and promote stable marriages. They blame the nation's no-fault divorce laws for the excessive U.S. divorce rate and for the resulting calamitous increase in children from single-parent homes who are growing up poor, depressed and struggling in school. The activists also point the finger at therapists and clergy for failing to press the importance of marriage in an increasingly individualistic society. Opponents counter that adding legal complications to the divorce process will only make divorces more expensive and more painful. They argue that couples need to learn better skills in handling both marriage and divorce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last three decades, church and synagogue membership has been mostly declining or stagnant. Experts trace the decline to the baby-boomers -- the 78 million Americans born from 1946-65. But now boomers are raising children themselves, and a surprising number who rejected religion have returned to organized worship. Churches and temples find themselves marketing faith to a population once known for its skepticism toward authority. But by emphasizing such attractions as child care and informal dress codes, religious bodies invite charges that they are watering down traditional faith. Parishioner- hungry congregations also seek to attract members of the "baby-bust" generation, now in their 20s. Unlike the boomers, they largely grew up with no religious grounding at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hillary Rodham Clinton kindled sharp partisan debate last year when critics accused her of supporting the right of children to sue their parents. And the riveting Gregory Kingsley case in Florida stirred fears that children would go to court to divorce their parents. Children's advocates applauded Clinton's views and the Florida ruling, arguing that children often need independent representation and a greater voice in legal proceedings affecting their interests. But conservatives warned that greater legal rights for children threatened parental authority and traditional family values. Now, with Bill Clinton in the White House and Hillary Clinton at his side, conservatives worry that government involvement in family issues will expand. They are pressing for a return to traditional values as the best remedy for the ills besetting America's children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The average American child watches 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school -- thanks to the miracle of television. Suggestions of a link between make-believe TV violence and aggression in real life have been raised since television's formative years in the 1950s -- and always dismissed by the TV industry. But recently the three major networks signed a first- ever joint statement outlining practices aimed at reducing violence, and the cable, video and film industries are showing signs of cooperating. Some in Congress are encouraged and maintain hopes that change will come about voluntarily, without the need for federal regulation. But anti-violence activists and scholars of television accuse the industry of merely paying lip service to the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more Americans are shouting, "Stop the world, I want to get off!" Opinion polls reveal rising numbers who feel stressed, while some studies suggest a decline in leisure time and an increase in how much people work. Two-career families are especially buffeted by this trend. As the baby-boom generation negotiates parenthood and middle age, concerned groups are pushing workaholics to shift out of overdrive and spend more time with their families. The business world is trying to become more "family friendly," but managers are under pressure to remain economically competitive. Conflicts between work and family continue to raise questions about the roles of men and women, questions that society has been struggling with since women first entered the work force in large numbers three decades ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]