This digest reviews reports about the educational experience and expectations of recent immigrants to the United States to dispel some myths about the impact of immigrants on American society and to provide information to consider in attempts to increase the educational attainment of immigrants. In general, immigrant youth and parents have higher…

This digest describes two major settings for adult literacy education: adult basic education (ABE) and community college remedial programs. Candidates for literacy education tend to be of low socioeconomic status and disproportionately from non-Caucasian backgrounds. The increasing number of immigrants who are not fluent in English, and often have…

This digest discusses how schools and families can improve native English speaking boys' reading skills, particularly poor, minority boys. It examines ways to increase the time boys spend reading and the enjoyment they get from reading. Boys tend to learn to read later, take longer to learn, comprehend narrative texts less easily, value reading…

This digest examines the various financial sources minority students use to meet the costs of higher education, some of which were created with the specific goal of promoting their college attendance. Sources include federal student loans, pre-college programs and grants, college prepaid plans, and student credit cards. Policy recommendations to…

This monograph looks at the field of youth service broadly and provides examples of the range of programs available for urban youth. A review of statistics on urban youth involvement nationally notes that most young people are not involved in community service, African American students perform more community service annually than any other racial…

Despite recognition of the importance of good nutrition for children's cognitive development, many children in America are poorly nourished. This digest reviews programs designed to address this problem and suggests ways to improve child nutrition and school meal programs. Federal programs administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the…

Existing choice plans, which allow parents and students to choose among a variety of schools, vary dramatically in size, shape, and purpose. Different types of choice programs have different impacts, especially on low-income and minority group students; and it is not yet clear how school choice programs should be structured to assure that those…

This digest summarizes a larger document of the same title which examines early intervention programs providing services and resources to encourage low-income/minority youth to finish high school and enter college. It notes provisions of federal law which encourage such programs and the unifying mission of the National Early Intervention…

This ERIC Digest reviews research data on young urban, low income, and often minority parents and their involvement in schooling for themselves and their children. A look at the demographics of this subgroup shows that families headed by single teenage mothers comprise the fastest growing category of family groups, particularly among African…

The importance of parent participation in a child's education is undisputed, and low-income urban parents can and want to help with their children's schooling, both at home and at school, as much as do middle class parents. However, most poor urban children live in single-parent, female-headed households--often Black or Hispanic--and many school…

The number of family programs in low-income communities that promote computer and Internet literacy is steadily growing. This digest describes urban after school and community programs found to be effective among low-income youth and their families. Some are projects of national initiatives that welcome new local affiliates, and others are…

The New York City Citizens' Commission on Planning for Enrollment Growth submitted a report on overcrowding in New York City schools that may serve as a guide to other cities striving to provide an effective education for ever-increasing numbers of students. Research on the impact of school overcrowding has been inconclusive, but there is some…

Hispanic parents have been slow to overcome their historical reluctance to turn their young children over to nonfamily members for care, but the educational boost preschool provides is particularly important for the one-quarter of Hispanic American families who are poor by Federal guidelines. This digest describes the strategies and programs…

This digest describes the creation and operation of after school programs for poor urban students. Schools often sponsor such programs and find the advantages to be the credibility lent by the school, continuity of care, and easy access to resources. Some of the disadvantages to school sponsorship are higher personnel costs, the possibility of…

New federal money for child care, flowing to the states as a result of the landmark 1990 child care legislation, titled the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, has prompted states to make significant improvements in state child care programs and policies. Based on a national survey conducted in 1993 by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF),…