To assess the nature and importance of family support and education programs which have increased in number during the last decade, this prepared statement addresses three questions: (1) What is known about the ways in which context, defined as factors outside the nuclear family, affects a family's capacity to rear its children and build a…

Articles in this serial publication highlight the past, present, and possible future of Project Head Start and celebrate the project's 20th birthday. "Head Start: Today and Yesterday" (Alfred Flores) emphasizes the goals of Head Start. "Why Head Start Is a Winner" (Mary Tom Riley and Jamie Tucker) reports the results of…

Human service agencies, including public schools and institutions of higher education, are playing an increasingly dominant role in the lives of all citizens, especially the poor. The increasingly bureaucratic nature of these agencies has been contributing to the continued powerlessness and dependence of their growing clientele. The perception by…