This article describes the design and implementation of a program that incorporates a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework for promoting the development of early literacy and language skills among low-income minority children. The early literacy program, called the Exemplary Model of Early Reading Growth and Excellence, or EMERGE, combines…

Considers what educators can do to promote quality instruction that prevents, or at least lessens, the incidence of school failure in minority children. Discusses a brief perspective of "The School Development Program," and presents a description of three workshops. (SC)

This article talks about the large achievement gap between children of color and their white peers. The reasons for the achievement gap are varied. First, many urban minorities come from a background of poverty. One of the detrimental effects of growing up in poverty is receiving inadequate nourishment at a time when bodies and brains are rapidly…

Because teachers are human, they sometimes judge their students based on where they live or the language they speak. Students are channeled into honors, regular or remedial classes based on these judgments. Separate sets of expectations are imposed upon separate sets of children, limiting access to information and opportunity. Teachers must…

The welfare system is presently being reformed and restructured to emphasize employment. However, while pushing remedial education and job placement for adults, we may be losing a whole generation of children whose failure in school dooms them to repeat the dependency cycle. An alarming number of youngsters are poor, have a chaotic family life,…

This report outlines the highlights of the New York State Special Summit on Black and Hispanic Children. One hundred selected leaders from government, private industry, foundations, academia, the religious community, advocacy organizations and voluntary agencies heard presentations from national and state experts and developed recommendations for…

This paper examines the importance of providing high quality education to all U.S. children, recommending that the federal government fully fund Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and target part of this increased investment to middle and high school reform. Currently, school districts receive approximately $889 per poor…

The Broad Acres clinic is one of 1,500 school-based health centers nationwide that bring a wide range of medical, nutritional, and mental-health care to millions of students and their families. The centers provide an important safety net for children and adolescents--particularly the more than 10 million today who lack health insurance, according…

This paper suggests some things caring educators can do to promote quality instruction that prevents, or at least lessens, the incidence of school failure in minority children. The paper first describes the James Comer School Development Program, which connects minority children to caring adults. The program focuses on community, parents, church,…

Schools can reduce teenage pregnancy by providing specific sex education, counseling, and health services, and by improving schooling for high risk students. Emphasizes early childhood education and alternative programs for pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents. (FMW)

Elementary principal from Hau'ula, Hawaii, explains how her diverse students require teachers who understand their unique needs, noting how she hires graduates of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teaching of Minorities) program because their awareness of cultural differences and cultural compatibility is effective for Hau'ula's low…

This forum discusses the importance of safeguarding the wellbeing of older children enmeshed in Minnesota's child welfare system, emphasizing the need for permanency and acknowledging of the ascendancy of the court system. Section one presents basic data on Minnesota adolescents in out-of-home care, noting the high proportion of minorities.…

Accelerated Schools are built on the strengths of school staff, students, parents, and communities with the goal of bringing at-risk students into the educational mainstream by the end of elementary school. During the 1990-91 school year, 53 schools are participating in the Accelerated Schools Program, including statewide networks in Missouri and…

This paper responds to critics of an August 2000 paper that reported the effects of educational vouchers on student test scores in three cities. The report found that: (1) after 2 years, no students other than African Americans seemed to benefit from vouchers; and (2) African Americans in all three cities posted moderately large test score gains…

Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program recruits individuals who are dedicated to helping students succeed, who themselves are from minority groups underrepresented in the University of Hawaii's College of Education, and who can study full time. The article explains the philosophy behind and process of student…