The authors of the papers presented in this volume are to be commended for their intellectual contributions and their diligence in completing this enormously valuable set of studies, which together constitute a major contribution to the knowledge base about contemporary children in immigrant families. These commissioned papers were essential to informing the work of the Committee on the Health and Adjustment of Immigrant Children and Families, which was established in 1996 by the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education of the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine. In 1998 the committee released the report From Generation to Generation: The Health and Welt-Being of Children in Immigrant Families, which contains its main findings and conclusions. This companion volume contains the detailed background papers that the committee commissioned along the way.

The papers in this volume have been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published volume as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards. The re-