This paper discusses parent participation in education from three perspectives: current research and theoretical positions; a brief historical review of parent involvement and its limitations; and the comprehensive approach used by the School Development Program. The first section reviews past publications that focus on the importance of…

Described are the general procedures and features of the Frank Porter Graham Center's program to prevent retardation by supplementing the lives of poverty level children beginning within 3 months of birth. The goals of the program are noted to include understanding more about the effects of one particular strategy (daycare) on basic biological,…

A pioneering residential child care project in inner city Dublin began operations in July 1981. The project was designed to function as a resource for seriously deprived or at-risk children and their families. The community served is one characterized by exceptionally high unemployment, a 10 percent rate of heroin addiction among local 15- to…

Discusses a comprehensive, youth-violence-prevention program in New York City called The Door--A Center of Alternatives. This holistic program addresses the root causes of youth violence such as alienation and lack of empowerment. The Door provides life-skills training and services related to the consequences of poverty, unemployment, low levels…

The District of Columbia's Nature Computer Camp program, described and evaluated in this paper, was designed to reduce the geographical isolation of economically disadvantaged urban sixth graders, and to provide them with increased knowledge of the environmental and computer sciences. The paper begins by giving details of the program's management,…

Described in this paper are strategies and programs developed by the Control Data Corporation to address inner-city needs. Strategies cited include the establishment of new plants in economically depressed areas and the encouragement of local community support in business operations. Specific programs discussed are directed at the disadvantaged…

The Corporate Career Demonstration Project is a Federally funded program designed to provide economically disadvantaged young adults with specialized training, counseling and educational experiences. The project's major goal is to prepare these youth for entry level corporate career positions they would otherwise be unable to obtain. Applicants…

This paper presents a site and project description and the conceptual framework of the Curriculum Articulation Project (CAP) and its relation to current math and science education reform initiatives. CAP is based on the notion that the teacher is the best individual to ascertain the learning needs of the urban, and often economically…

The purpose of this report is to examine program implementation and effects during the first 2 years of Winnipeg, Manitoba's Early School Years Project. The project included components on early childhood classrooms, home learning, parents, and parent/child centers. It was designed to provide educational enrichment to the parents and nursery and…

The first major objective of this paper is to describe in some detail the research that documents the proposition that even extremely disadvantaged 5-year-olds can be taught to read in kindergarten, and that, contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence of negative side effects from such teaching. The paper also describes an effective academic…

This question-and-answer format paper looks at some of the basic issues surrounding the chronically poor and initiatives and services designed to break the poverty cycle. A first section explores some of the myths and realities surrounding the characteristics of the chronically poor population and notes that this population is comprised of…

Transition projects have emerged to address Head Start fade-out effects, that is, the disappearance of gains made by Head Start program children by the third grade. The Nebraska Transition Project is one of 31 across the United States providing Head Start-like services to families with children in public elementary school, kindergarten through…

A career training program funded by the Job Training Partnership Act was developed in Loudon County, Tennessee, to alleviate the stresses that are described in the hypothesis that occupational aspirations and expectations are lower for rural, female, economically disadvantaged, and handicapped youth than they are for other youth. To participate,…

This paper describes the Family Development Research Program, a program combining quality infant day care services with a home visitation component. Particular emphasis in this paper is on the day care center curriculum. Primary goals of the program are: (1) the design and maintenance of optimal environments which nourish an infant's development…

The Pasadena Unified School District, in northwest Los Angeles County, recognized that an early intervention program for economically disadvantaged children should be part of its comprehensive district revitalizing and restructuring plan. Consequently, staff developed the Kindergarten Program for Four-Year-Olds, which was designed to provide: (1)…