The first synthesis of the field, the two volumes of the Handbook of Family Life Education provide a critical perspective on family life education in theory and practice.

Volume One discusses the nature, history and scope of the field. The contributors concentrate on the crucial question of values, on issues of professionalization of family life educators and on programme planning and evaluation. The most important components in family life education are discussed, including topics such as: race, ethnicity, gender and religion.

Handbook of Family Life Education covers a wide range of educational and preventive programs to improve the quality of individual and family life. Although it has a long history, only recently has there been a movement toward professionalization of these programs or an intellectual justification for them developed. The Handbook of Family Life Education is the first to provide a framework for this field. Its purpose is to provide an introduction to a critical perspective on family life education--both its major intellectual themes and its areas of practice--for researchers, policymakers, curriculum and program planners, and practitioners. "Finally, there is a comprehensive resource on family life education. As the editors write in the preface, previous handbooks included discussion of family life education, but often only as one of the many chapters. Further, any earlier volume had become dated given the changes and evolving sophistication of the field. A new reference resource was needed, and these two volumes will meet that need. Hats off to the editors!" --Family Forum "This book is the most extensive compilation of research and practice regarding family life education that has been written. In the two volumes, the editors have assembled a diverse group of scholars to describe the fundamental issues and to discuss the state of the art in family life education. . . . These two volumes provide an extensive foundation for scholars, students, and practitioners interested in family life education. These volumes draw together an often disparate and disorganized body of knowledge and establish a basis for considering theoretical and methodological issues. Many of the chapters provide thorough reviews and critiques of the family life programs and insightful recommendations about future decisions. . . . the Handbook of Family Life Education is a substantial contribution to the field and will be very useful in undergraduate and graduate courses on family life education and to scholars and practitioners interested in other important issues confronting the field." --Family Relations "This is without a doubt the most complete, encyclopedic treatise on family life education available on the market, bar none. It contains all the information that either beginning family life educators or consummate professionals need to know about this field, past, present, and future. I recommend it wholeheartedly, not only to family life educators, but also to marriage and family therapists. Perhaps, in the not too distant future, all of the information contained in both volumes will be used by anyone who is interested in helping families, regardless of professional identity or theoretical orientation." --Luciano L′Abate, Georgia State University HANDBOOK OF FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION, VOLUME 1 Foundations of Family Life Education This first volume of the Handbook of Family Life Education serves as a major resource for those who teach, practice, and do research in family life education. It documents the current status of the field and provides an introduction to and a critical perspective on family life education. The contributing authors address such topics as the nature of family life education, its evolution as a field of practice, and its intellectual and philosophical foundations. The central theme of values and the tasks of planning, implementation, and evaluation of family life programs are also examined. Where applicable, matters of ethnicity, gender, and religion are addressed.