By providing early access to education, early childhood and community-based programs are helping to close the achievement gap prevalent among children from impoverished homes.

These are the technical appendices for the report, "Supporting Student Parents in Community College CalWORKs Programs." The appendices include: (1) CalWORKs and EOPS Programs at California Community Colleges; (2) Survey of Program Directors; (3) Survey Instrument; (4) Survey Summary Statistics; and (5) Analysis of CalWORKs Students.…

Just a few years ago, Boston's Clarence Edwards Middle School was on the verge of being shut down. By 2009, a renaissance at the Edwards made it one of the highest performing and most desired middle schools in Boston, dramatically narrowing and even eliminating academic achievement gaps while delivering a far more well-rounded education to its…

One of the important misconceptions in the American view of poverty is that people are poor because they do not work. This article presents an exercise, the "bottom line," which helps dispel students' misconceptions about the working poor. Through extensive primary-data collection and assembling a budget for low-skilled workers, the exercise: (1)…

Act 101 funds provide special classes, counseling, and tutorial support for participating academically, economically, and culturally deprived college students. (Author/IRT)

The article explores state (particularly Oregon's) programs' problems in trying to serve the needs of the ever-increasing number of disadvantaged elementary school students. Increased services are needed to identify at-risk students and help them as soon as possible with programs that have a lasting impact. (CB)

Discusses the history of welfare reform and the different approaches used in several states. Describes multiple models that have emerged in community colleges, including short-term training programs, open entry/exit programs or alternative entry dates, classes offered at unconventional times, company-specific programs, case-management strategies,…

These three brochures discuss important issues related to child welfare. The first, "Family Support: A New Approach to Child Well-Being," summarizes this philosophy of community service. Family support is defined and differentiated from traditional services; its advantages are outlined; and specific family support programs in…

The Public Policy and Public Schools Program was developed to educate urban, low-income parents about the administration, curriculum, organization, legal structure, and finances of their children's schools. The program has increased parental involvement in local boards of education, school committees, and advocacy groups. Sample program activities…

Under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), states face steadily increasing work participation requirements. The TANF structure presents one new option: the ability to use TANF funds for community service employment in wage-paying, publicly funded jobs designed to provide work for individuals and to address unmet community needs. A…

Nineteen states are covered in this report on state compensatory education programs, examining the status of state financed compensatory education programs established during the last decade through the passage of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Programs discussed are stated to be limited to those designed for elementary and…

The National Center for Children in Poverty is developing a series of issue briefs on children and welfare reform to help policymakers, community leaders, and advocates use the opportunities afforded by welfare changes in ways that are most likely to benefit both children and adults. This second issue brief focuses on the impact of federal and…

These profiles of Adult Education for the Homeless programs funded by the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act are compiled from final reports submitted to the Division of Adult Education and Literacy, U.S. Department of Education, by the 50 states and from site visits by division staff. Data are reported for varying lengths of time for the first year…

Discusses program designed by the Educational Computer Consortium of Ohio (ECCO) to address the problems of equity in computer technology among minority, female, economically disadvantaged, and handicapped students. Six projects focusing on elementary and secondary school girls, minorities and economically disadvantaged students are described, and…

Describes the National Drug Control Strategy's nine-pronged approach in addressing drug abuse, which includes the formation of partnerships between federal, state, and local governments and the private and public sectors. The strategy includes prevention initiatives, individualized treatment programs for high-risk groups, education aimed at…