Background: Education plays a pivotal role in empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for careers, economic progress, and societal engagement. Dropping out of school before achieving a qualification undermines these opportunities and has an impact on individuals and society (Audit Commission, 2010; OECD, 2023). International…

The article examines the relevance of compensatory education for educationally disadvantaged children of preschool age in Germany and beyond The article is a shortened, adapted and translated version of the paper Schmidt, T., & Smidt, W. (2014). "Kompensatorische Förderung benachteiligter Kinder--Entwicklungslinien, Forschungsbefunde und…

Internal validity of Title I evaluation models is discussed. Model A is theoretically vulnerable to threats due to maturation, instrumentation, statistical regression, and various interactions with selection; Model B is free from threats if properly implemented; Model C is threatened by selection x maturation interactions and instrumentation. (RL)

Reviews the literature on the effects of summer programs, and offers a reinterpretation of the role of summer learning in cognitive development. (PCB)

A brief exploration of literacy in Thailand is provided, focusing on compensatory education and the major dialects of Thai. An 11-citation annotated bibliography and a 27-citation unannotated bibliography are included. (CB)

Detailed examination revealed no effective replication of the results of 47 representative studies of the effectiveness of compensatory education. While the studies indicated some advantages for participants, achievement gains were not significantly associated with either money spent or program characteristics. An extensive table displays the…

School districts should be allowed to dispense with labeling children as disadvantaged and to use the Title I support they receive in schools that have a high proportion of children from poor families. (Author/MLF)

Current Chapter 1 remedial and compensatory education programs may not be worth the substantial funds being poured into them. To address shortcomings, such programs should be upgraded, reconceptualized as educational (not funding) programs, and fully integrated into the total school program. Includes 14 references. (MLH)

Reviews the progress of Blacks in northern urban schools from World War II to the present. Finds that the problems of academic achievement among Blacks remain severe because of the persistence of racism. (DM)

In 1966, James Coleman's massive American schooling survey concluded that family background was principally associated with the existing inequities in cognitive achievement. Coleman's conclusion about schooling's minimal influence on academic performance violated an educational consciousness viewing school as the "great equalizer." Two…

Results of studies of the effects of early childhood compensatory education programs indicate long-term benefits but not long-term cognitive gains. These findings may be explained by an interaction of the programs being studied at any early point in social change (rising tide) with a hypothesized intervening variable (cognitive effects). (DB)

Offers a critique of the final report of the Head Start Evaluation, Synthesis, and Utilization Project. Points raised include the following: studies considered by the report are not based on a representative sample of Head Start sites; findings are based on studies of both low and high quality; and evaluations do not offer the only rationale for…

This paper examines results from the Prospects study--a research agenda that explored the federal Title I program's impact on the academic and socio-emotional development of disadvantaged children. The document focuses on the program's strengths and limitations, offering a brief review of educational research and highlighting what may or may not…

The school-based planning process often exacerbates efforts to improve instructional effectiveness. The importance of addressing strategic instructional issues in planning is emphasized. To ensure more positive outcomes, six important guidelines are offered. (Author/JS)

Seven studies of the positive long- and short-term effects of good preschool programs on low-income youngsters provide evidence that such programs can be effective. The studies also reveal some of the problems faced by researchers in this field. (PGD)