The work presented here deals with troubling issues about schools. The starting point is research on Australian schools, particularly a recent study on disadvantaged schools, but the discussion is equally addressed to readers in other countries. There are three key reasons why social justice matters to everyone connected to the school system, and…

Through a study of six-year-olds who were successfully becoming literate, this book explores literacy and literacy learning among poor Black urban families. The ethnographic approach examines the experiences of four families whose lives and aspirations make it clear that literacy is an integral part of the children's daily lives, and that the…

The Willow Creek School Division in southern Alberta (Canada) invited leaders of various community agencies to serve on a task force to examine how changes in the local society were affecting children. The division serves approximately 2,700 rural-based students in several small rural communities. The task force was composed of the leaders of a…

What has been learned about making cities better since civil disturbances first arose in American cities is summarized, and guidelines are offered for constructing an urban agenda for improvement. In some respects the country has made real progress since the Watts riots, but in other areas, conditions are unambiguously worse, with increasing…

This document provides a detailed synopsis of the book "Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage" (L. B. Schorr). Specific kinds of intervention programs can alter the stunting conditions in which many poor children are raised. It is not necessary to change everything in order to make a difference, and policymakers do not need to wait…

This publication represents the first report tailored to a non-specialist audience from an extensive case study in the Philippines, one of five country studies selected as the first project of the Urban Child Program of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) International Child Development center. The Philippines study focuses explicitly on…

A college-level applied sociology course in which students use sociological theory or research methodology to solve social problems is described. Guidelines for determining appropriate projects are: (1) the student must feel there is a substantial need for the project; (2) the project must be approachable through recognized sociological…

The report of a seminar involving 13 Asian nations held to develop coordinated population education programs is presented. Following an introduction describing background, objectives, and participation, chapter 1 summarizes the reports on national population education presented by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, India,…

The purpose of this guide is to help pre-driving age students understand the responsibilities inherent in using public streets and highways. Materials, which can be integrated into existing secondary school courses, are divided into nine chapters covering traffic rules and signs; alcohol and drugs; safety on buses, skateboards, multigeared…

This study can be used in a geographic research methods course to show how nearest-neighbor analysis and regression analysis can be used to study various aspects of land use. An analysis of the sand, gravel, and crushed stone industry in three urban areas of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Florida illustrates the locational problems faced by…

The purpose of this report is to explore an analysis of discussions, among groups of elementary school children, of a social problem. The intent of the research is to contribute to the advancement of methods for program and student assessment, particularly toward goals not usually evaluated by traditional testing programs. The analysis method used…

The conference reported on in this document focused on the profound changes taking place in the world, changes characterized by their international nature and requiring multinational cooperation. The security of national borders continues to be a concern, but internal threats to governments are the more common phenomenon. The combination of…

Contestation can be defined as a process in which self-interested individuals and groups in a social organization cooperate, compete, and negotiate in a complex interaction aimed at solving social problems. This dissertation explores the notion of contestation in the field of environmental education. In the first part of the document a framework…

This booklet records a series of conference presentations and group discussions about a growing problem in the United States: the increasing number of young adolescents in the 10- to 15-year age range who do not have adult supervision after school. Participants identified current program initiatives, policy barriers to increasing and improving…

This report discusses trends in the way Australian families are forming and re-forming, factors determining families' access to income, and proposals regarding reform of the income transfer system. The current shape of families in Australia is described in terms of a shift to marriage at a later age; leaving-home behavior of young people; the…