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Despite an unprecedented surge of research on fathers, progress in the study of father involvement generally occurs within rather than across disciplines. This handbook highlights the challenges facing researchers of father involvement across disciplines. Following an introduction, the chapters of the book are as follows: 1) "Methodological, Measurement, and Design Issues in Studying Fathers: An Interdisciplinary Perspective" (Lori Roggman, Hiram Fitzgerald, Robert Bradley, and Helen Raikes); (2) "Who Are the Fathers of Today?" (Donald Hernandez and Peter Brandon); (3) "The Demography of Fathers: What Fathers Do" (Sandra Hofferth, Joseph Pleck, Jeffrey Stueve, Suzanne Bianchi, and Liana Sayer); (4) "Infant-Father Attachments and Their Impact on Child Development" (Michael Lamb); (5) "Involved Fathering and Child Development: Advancing Our Understanding of Good Fathering" (Rob Palkovitz); (6) "Fathers' Contributions to Children's Peer Relationships" (Ross Parke, David McDowell, Mina Kim, Colleen Killian, Jessica Dennis, Mary Flyr, and Margaret Wild); (7) "Nonresidential Fathers and Their Children" (Michael Lamb); (8) "Sociological Perspectives on Fatherhood: What Do We Know about Fathers from Social Surveys?" (David Eggebeen); (9) "Fathers in the 'Hood': Insights from Qualitative Research on Low-Income African-American Men" (Robin Jarrett, Kevin Roy, and Linda Burton); (10) "Cultural Contexts of Father Involvement" (Nicholas Townsend); (11) "Father Involvement in English-Speaking Caribbean Families" (Jaipaul Roopnarine); (12) "Male Migration, Remittances, and Child Outcomes among the Okavango Delta Peoples of Botswana" (John Bock and Sara Johnson); (13) "Evolutionary Theory and Reproductive Responses to Father Absence: Implications of Kin Selection and the Reproductive Returns to Mating and Parenting Effort" (David Waynforth); (14) "Fathering as Reproductive Investment" (Steven Josephson); (15) "Involving Dads: Parental Bargaining and Family Well-Being" (Paula England and Nancy Folbre); (16) "The Effects of Welfare, Child Support, and Labor Markets on Father Involvement" (Wendy Sigle-Rushton and Irwin Garfinkel); (17) "Nonresident Fathers and Their Children: Child Support and Visitation from an Economic Perspective" (John Graham and Andrea Beller); (18) "Fragile Families, Father Involvement, and Public Policy" (Marcia Carlson and Sara McLanahan); (19) "Bridging Research and Policy: Including Fathers of Young Children in National Studies" (Natasha Cabrera, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Kristin Moore, Jerry West, Kimberly Boller, and Catherine Tamis-LeMonda); (20) "Sustaining Fragile Fatherhood: Father Involvement among Low-Income, Noncustodial African-American Fathers in Philadelphia" (Timothy Nelson, Susan Clampet-Lundquist, and Kathryn Edin); (21) "The Responsible Fatherhood Field: Evolution and Goals" (Ronald Mincy and Hillard Pouncy); and (22) "Cross-Disciplinary Challenges to the Study of Father Involvement" (Catherine Tamis-LeMonda and Natasha Cabrera). (Each chapter contains references.) (HTH)

Although public acceptance of Head Start is high, public understanding of what the program does remains limited. Studies of Head Start to date have been insufficient in quantity and scope. In November 1994, the Roundtable on Head Start Research began a series of discussions of new directions for Head Start research. The roundtable looked at understudied aspects of the program. This report discusses the work of this roundtable and its examination of unexplored aspects of Head Start. Among the main issues discussed are the need to: (1) study family dynamics and development; (2) explore new possibilities for studying social and emotional development; (3) harvest local programmatic inventions; and (4) address mental health issues in Head Start. Following an introduction describing the Roundtable study group and the scope of this report, the chapters are: (1) "Studying Head Start's Families: General Themes"; (2) "Recognizing the Diversity of Children and Families in Head Start"; (3) "Examining Community-Head Start Collaborations"; (4) "Head Start Families in a Changing Economic Landscape"; and (5) "Extending the Benefits of Local Innovation." Appendices include excerpts from advisory committee reports and workshop agendas and speakers. Contains 20 references. (BGC)