Social Policies Toward Children of Diverse Ethnic, Racial, and Language Groups in the United States

ABSTRACT In every era in the history of U.S. public policies toward children, certain groups of children have been identified as being “at risk” and hence of social concern and responsibility. These groups consist of the physically handicapped and those with serious diseases; the emotionally disturbed; the mentally retarded; orphans; children whose mothers or fathers are permanently or temporarily absent; illegitimate, destitute, indigent, neglected, abused, and anti‐social or delinquent children. Only very recently have the children belonging to specified ethnic, racial, and language groups been added as major “risk” categories and thus become a major focus of social concern and public responsibility. The source of the social concern about all the groups listed above is the alleged inability of the family (when it exists) to cope with the problems implied by membership in the group, or the public danger that follows from leaving these problems untreated. This social concern does not mean that American society has always accepted full responsibility for children in these risk categories. It has not always provided care, treatment, or rehabilitation, nor has it always sought to prevent their misfortunes. Since colonial times, however, it has at least shown concern for certain categories of children. My principal purpose in this monograph is to trace major trends in the evolution of those aspects of social policies toward children that bear directly on issues of ethnic, racial, and language diversity in our society. I also seek to examine the public attitudes, the intellectual assumptions, and the sociodemographic trends that have accompanied these policy developments. In addition, I pay some attention to the roles that the social and behavioral sciences have played with regard to such policies.