Background: Education plays a pivotal role in empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for careers, economic progress, and societal engagement. Dropping out of school before achieving a qualification undermines these opportunities and has an impact on individuals and society (Audit Commission, 2010; OECD, 2023). International…

The article examines the relevance of compensatory education for educationally disadvantaged children of preschool age in Germany and beyond The article is a shortened, adapted and translated version of the paper Schmidt, T., & Smidt, W. (2014). "Kompensatorische Förderung benachteiligter Kinder--Entwicklungslinien, Forschungsbefunde und…

Detailed examination revealed no effective replication of the results of 47 representative studies of the effectiveness of compensatory education. While the studies indicated some advantages for participants, achievement gains were not significantly associated with either money spent or program characteristics. An extensive table displays the…

School districts should be allowed to dispense with labeling children as disadvantaged and to use the Title I support they receive in schools that have a high proportion of children from poor families. (Author/MLF)

Current Chapter 1 remedial and compensatory education programs may not be worth the substantial funds being poured into them. To address shortcomings, such programs should be upgraded, reconceptualized as educational (not funding) programs, and fully integrated into the total school program. Includes 14 references. (MLH)

Results of studies of the effects of early childhood compensatory education programs indicate long-term benefits but not long-term cognitive gains. These findings may be explained by an interaction of the programs being studied at any early point in social change (rising tide) with a hypothesized intervening variable (cognitive effects). (DB)

This paper examines results from the Prospects study--a research agenda that explored the federal Title I program's impact on the academic and socio-emotional development of disadvantaged children. The document focuses on the program's strengths and limitations, offering a brief review of educational research and highlighting what may or may not…

Seven studies of the positive long- and short-term effects of good preschool programs on low-income youngsters provide evidence that such programs can be effective. The studies also reveal some of the problems faced by researchers in this field. (PGD)

Presents a synthesis of what is known about Title I schoolwide programs, focusing on characteristics of schools and districts implementing schoolwide programs, programmatic and organizational characteristics of the programs, and evidence of program effectiveness. Cautions in interpreting the evaluation findings are presented, and educational…

Undertakes a critical examination of the basic premises underlying linguistic and conceptual training programs for preschool children. Shows how widely used preschool programs are based on inadequate assumptions concerning language, language use, and communication. (Author/BRR)

This paper examines research on classroom programs for elementary school students who are at risk for learning problems. The full range of alternative classroom organization models designed to meet the needs of low-achieving or heterogeneous classes is explored in an attempt to discover which type of program is most effective and why. The goal of…

This paper reviews the following studies on the cost-effectiveness of the Chapter 1 compensatory education program: (1) Sustaining Effects Study; (2) Tallmadge Study; (3) the Kiesling Study for Rand; (4) Instructional Dimensions Study; (5) Response to Educational Needs Project Cost-Effectiveness Study; (6) Educational Testing Service/Ragosta…

To help assess the potential long term benefits of prekindergarten programs in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) since 1976, this report reviews compensatory early childhood education research findings. Part One summarizes findings from AISD's Chapter 1, Chapter 1 Migrant, and Title VII prekindergarten programs. AISD students showed…

This topical synthesis addresses the problematic issue of whether the techniques, processes, and procedures that generally result in effective, high-quality education will also achieve results with at-risk youth. After an extended introduction that raises this question, the key characteristics of effective schools are specified as leadership, a…

Nearly forty monographs, papers and journal articles are abstracted in this review of recent literature on instructionally effective schooling. The works, most of them published since the mid-1970s, focus on various aspects of urban, minority, and compensatory education, as well as on more general issues in elementary and secondary educational…