ABSTRACT
In the 20th century, childhood and adolescence came to be increasingly regarded as special periods of development in which children were provided extra support to learn and develop. Early in the century, American society assumed an increased sense of responsibility for the care of its young people, including increasing the reach of education, delaying entry into the workforce, and providing supports for families who, historically, had nurtured the development of children. As the century progressed, changes in family socialization created changes in conceptualization of school and community practices to support the family in its mission to raise successful children. (Weissberg and Greenberg, 1997)
In the mid-20th century, increases in juvenile crime and concerns about troubled youth led to the inception of federal funding initiatives to address these issues. These trends accelerated during the 1960s, as did national rates of poverty, divorce, out-of-wedlock births, family mobility, and single parenthood (Bumpass & Lu, 2000).
