It is well known that Pennsylvania's K-12 schools are inadequately and inequitably funded. But the extent of the problem is not fully understood. This paper uses new data and methods to demonstrate just how unfair--and in fact, morally unsustainable--the funding of elementary and secondary education is in the Commonwealth. It shows that the…

Previous studies suggest that the roots of school dropout (a) can be established early in life, (b) are likely to involve multilevel factors (home, child, classroom) operating prior to and during the elementary school years, and (c) can be identified by 3rd grade. The decision to drop out of school is thus a dynamic developmental process that can…

Background: This article examines the contemporary implications of the "Milliken v. Bradley" (1974) decision for educational inequality between school districts in U.S. metropolitan areas. We focus upon four metropolitan areas that were highly segregated in the 1970s but which met different fates in court: We first examine Detroit and…

The study examines how urban school principals lead schools that make a difference for children in challenging settings. This research delves deeply into the experiences of three urban public school principals in the School District of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, who used technology as an avenue to improve educational options for their students.…

Over the past decade, tens of thousands of families have been relocated from public housing developments across the United States through HOPE VI redevelopment and demolition. The experiences of young people who, along with their families, are relocated from their homes are rarely given attention. In this article, the author analyzes qualitative…

The Appalachian region is one of the most persistently poor areas of the United States. A focal explanation for the weak economic performance over the years is the fact that Appalachia has long lagged behind other regions in terms of the supply of skilled workers, particularly those with higher levels of education attainment, and this lack of…

The Wilkinsburg (Pennsylvania) School Board's decision to hire Alternative Public Schools, a private company, to manage a failing elementary school has alienated the teacher union and many town residents. If teachers lose their court challenge, Turner School will become the only U.S. public school to be both privately staffed and managed. (MLH)

To provide for its public education system, the state of Pennsylvania pays an Equalized Subsidy for Basic Education (ESBE) to school districts. More than 85 percent of the basic ESBE is distributed inversely to districts on the basis of their wealth. The rest of the ESBE is comprised of numerous supplements addressing the particular needs of…

The research summarized in Volume I of this two volume study of Johnstown, Pennsylvania provides an overview of the city's social and economic structure. This project was designed to help cure the area's chronic unemployment and economic instability and to serve as a prototype study for other communities with similar problems. Community views and…

Although Fort Pitt Elementary School used to be the lowest achieving school in the Pittsburgh area, reading scores and discipline are dramatically improving, thanks to the Independent Research Project for fourth- and fifth-grade students. (MLH)

The data provided in the second volume of this two-volume report are interpreted within the context of the social and economic problems identified in the first volume. With its lack of diversified industry, Johnstown, Pennsylvania was found to have the revenue problems typical of a depressed economy, accentuated by a decline in markets for its…

An analysis of the facts and opinions on rural poverty presented in over 1,000 pages of testimony to the Pennsylvania Panel on Rural Poverty is presented in this report. The problem of poverty is discussed in general and also as it specifically relates to Pennsylvania in terms of conditions, causes, proposals for improvement, comments, and the…

Between the summers of 1986 and 1987, the Coalition on Human Needs interviewed 202 low income people to learn about their experiences with employment, education, their families, and various government programs. The interviewees showed a higher level of participation in the paid labor force than was predicted. According to those interviewed, the…

IT IS HELD THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE ONE OF THE MOST STRATEGICALLY PLACED STAGING AREAS FROM WHICH TO MOUNT VIGOROUS, COMPREHENSIVE AND PREVENTIVE PROGRAMS TO ACHIEVE THE MAXIMUM DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN POTENTIAL LYING UNCHALLENGED IN URBAN SLUM AND DEPRESSED AREAS. STRONG CRITICISM HAS BEEN DIRECTED TOWARD SCHOOLS FOR NEGLECTING THEIR JOB OF…

Funded in part by a two-year grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Greene County Family Center in southwest Pennsylvania allows clients to meet with representatives from county human services agencies and offers many services including Head Start, crisis intervention, tutoring programs, adult education programs, and other services to…