The number of children living in poverty in the United States increased dramatically during the 1980s and remains high. By 1985, twenty percent of all children lived in families subsisting below the poverty line; percentages for black and Hispanic children were notably higher. The articles in this book attempt to address three main issues: Why so many children grow up in poor families, what the effects of poverty on a child's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development are, and what role can public policy and policy research play in preventing or alleviating the damaging effects of...