Fourteen percent of the nation's population lives in rural communities, and one in five K-12 students attends a rural school. This is a substantial portion of the population, but it's far too often overlooked by education analysts, advocates, and policymakers. Rural communities tend to face some persistent challenges, including higher rates of…

Too many parts of the world are suffering from conflict and its repercussions. Millions of children and young people are at risk of not reaching their full potential. Before more decades of development efforts are undone and future progress is blocked, it is a moral obligation of society to collectively find ways to foster social cohesion among…

The gap between the levels of learning that education systems are providing and what children, communities and economies need, is growing. The breadth and depth of this learning crisis constitute the greatest global challenge to preparing children and adolescents for life, work and active citizenship. The lesson of the learning crisis is clear:…

Rwanda is on the verge of a breakthrough. Having weathered one of the worst humanitarian crises imaginable just fifteen years ago, and with an impoverished countryside plagued by HIV/AIDS, hunger, and malaria, Rwanda seems an unlikely place for an economic renaissance. Yet the nation's commitment to good government and support for free market…

A recent statewide survey shows that regardless of location, income, education, or gender, Arizonans are convinced that science and technology will deliver on high-paying jobs, personal benefits, and solutions to environmental and social problems. The March 2006 responses to a statewide representative telephone survey show that a majority of…

This document is designed to fill major information voids in the field of adoption and to provide prospective adoptive parents with reliable data on which to base decisions. The factbook contains four major types of new information: (1) a frank discussion of the issues concerning adoption -- including costs; tax regulations; transracial adoption;…

This report describes the extent and causes of widespread hunger in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean using case studies of Bangladesh, Brazil, and Mozambique and profiles of 42 other countries. Current evidence points to more than half a billion people who chronically lack enough food for a normal life and an equal…

Published jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this document presents information drawn from a nationally representative sample of state prisoners and from existing homicide data assembled by law enforcement agencies. It sheds new light on the most serious types of child abuse and…

The implication for universities of a trend to orient research and development to national needs is explored. University research policies are responding to fears of losing internally funded research and a growing reliance on external funds. (MLW)

Data on the socioeconomic status of elderly Hispanic Americans are limited. Issues that address the needs of younger populations have taken priority. This report is an attempt to publicize data on elderly Hispanic people and to recommend changes in the way they are regarded and served. The findings are the following: (1) this population is growing…

This report represents the culmination of a year-long evaluation of the nature and extent of sexual harassment in the federal government. The various chapters explore the: (1) attitudes of federal employees toward sexual harassment; (2) extent of sexual harassment in the federal workplace; (3) characteristics of victims and perpetrators of sexual…

Reviews studies of adolescent pregnancy since 1982 and relates them to a study of teen pregnancy in Duval County (Florida). Discusses incidence, causes and health, social and economic consequences. (FMW)

The rise in heroin use in the 1990s is attributed to an increase in snorting and smoking heroin as opposed to earlier epidemics that relied on intravenous use. An increase in purity has also added to the addiction problem. The trend towards use by young people was confirmed by the 2000 Monitoring the Future Study, which reported that 10.6% of high…

KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. This 18th annual 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book examines…

Politicians and the media typically focus on single issues, positing simplistic solutions for complex problems--solutions that cannot work because they fail to take into consideration how different social problems influence and affect each other. This book provides a guide to key social factors, highlighting the critical interrelationships among…