Urban school reformers for decades have tried to improve educational outcomes for underserved and disadvantaged students, with the assistance of constantly evolving federal and state policies. In recent years, education policies have shifted from targeting individual students to developing universal standards for teaching and learning, and…

In this groundbreaking book, the authors show how the cycle of educational alienation can be broken, to enable parents and schools to work together to contribute to children's educational, social and emotional well-being. They illustrate this by exploring a highly successful initiative in a school with severe socioeconomic disadvantages, which, in…

In a multi-stressed environment children and families are affected by one or more sources of significant stress--for example, homelessness, substance abuse, or lack of basic necessities. Living with high levels of stress can take a toll on young children's development. This skill-based staff development program was developed to help classroom…

Education systems in third world countries are facing severe pressures. The need for qualitative and quantitative advances has forced governments to seek innovative ways to achieve their goals. "School Clusters" is one such innovation. A cluster is a grouping of schools for administrative and educational purposes. Some common objectives of…

With a unique focus on the effects of poverty on parenting in Britain, this book explores what professionals and policy makers can do to support families living in poverty. The book details findings and conclusions of a large national study of parents living in poverty conducted by the Policy Research Bureau between 1997 and 1999. The study…

The Indians of Bolivia, already exploited by a military dictatorship, will have to take up more of the white man's burden if South Africans and Rhodesians accept an invitation to colonize the country. White South Africans, accustomed to the excesses of their own police, will find much that is familiar in Bolivia. Bolivia is a poor country, its per…

Head Start, the nation's largest early childhood intervention, has enjoyed public and political support. The program has also been haunted by persistent questions about its role in communities, its sustainable impacts, and its quality. This book discusses the past, present, and future of Head Start in the hope of creating better partnerships…

The purpose of "Teach for America," a program modeled after the Peace Corps, was to recruit a cadre of bright college graduates to become uncertified teachers for two years in some of America's toughest schools. This book tracks the successes and failures of the program in its first year and presents the stories of seven idealistic corps…

From the perspective of the project leader, this book traces the growth and development of the Early Childhood and Family Education Project in Morasha, Israel, during the 8 years of its existence (1982-1990). Chapter 1 describes Morasha, a poor, immigrant neighborhood in Ramat HaSharon, and the author's childhood there. Chapter 2 describes the…

This book identifies the problems confronting formal education in a disadvantaged rural area of Sri Lanka. The book is organized in three parts. Part One provides the frame of reference and general background for the research. The first chapter outlines the existing theories on the role of education in developing countries and presents the…

This study examines effectiveness of preschool and family intervention in prevention of cultural-familial retardation. It attempts to resolve part of the complex of influences on early intellectual development in those born into seriously disadvantaged environments that could account for the increased risk for certain children to be identified as…

Those involved in early childhood development must recognize that many of their most cherished beliefs about what is best for children are cultural constructions. This book focuses on quality in large-scale programs for disadvantaged young children in a variety of cultural settings. Chapter 1, "Changing Childhoods," discusses issues…

Research on school restructuring reveals the commitments and competencies that lead to improved outcomes for children, including careful attention to students' emotional development, professional development that emphasizing the reflective study of teaching, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching, and a focus on early language and literacy…

Written by a team of graduate student teachers, this collection of papers focuses on the challenges of teaching at-risk students and the development of successful classroom strategies. The first chapter, "Kids in Need: The Teachers' Perspective," addresses Hispanic children in poverty, the effects of poverty on academic achievement, and…

This book looks at the current spectrum of programs dealing with education for disadvantaged youth in Thailand. In spite of a lack of literature on the subject, it presents a diversity of information collected from various public and private organizations. The first chapter brings into focus the negative effects of the recent economic crisis,…