The 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress math scores for eighth-graders show that when socioeconomic status is considered, English-proficient Asian students have no achievement advantage over other ethnic groups. However, Chinese sixth-graders, using abstract reasoning skills, outperformed American students on 12 open-ended math…

This study investigated whether teaching mothers with low socioeconomic status to comment while reading to three children with developmental disabilities and four at-risk children would increase communicative interaction and improve the children's emerging literacy skills. All children were more assertive and responsive and four improved emerging…

Minorities constitute an increasing proportion of the population, particularly among children and younger working-age adults. In rural areas, the minority population is small overall but highly concentrated in certain areas; includes a high proportion of children; and is characterized by low education and employment levels. Education and…

Discusses the forces compelling young adolescent females toward early parenthood, a community-based art therapy/pregnancy program for elementary and junior high school girls, the use of interactive museum gallery visits to enhance art-therapy treatment goals, and case vignettes that illustrate issues raised for the adolescent and art therapist…

This study estimates a 1991 population of 2.97 million Americans with mental retardation, with 2.63 million living outside formal long-term care systems. Observations suggest that families are the dominant source of support, many live in households headed by aging family members, and there are significant economic disparities between family…

Despite China's efforts in recent years to improve teacher education, it is still imbued with problems which must be addressed effectively and immediately before teacher education can meet with China's desire for modernization. The problems are based on the unattractive social and economic status of the teaching profession in China, so the…

Analysis of National Postsecondary Student Aid Study data for 11,000 students in loan programs at 1,400 institutions found borrowers with similar earned degrees, marital status, number of dependent children, showed similar levels of income/loan default, regardless of racial/ethnic group. Findings dispute national policy and suggest that campuses…

Examined whether relationships between high school students' educational and career aspirations and their parents' educational levels differed. Students' mathematics achievement, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status were also examined. Interviews indicated that relationships between parental factors and student variables differed by mother…

According to a Michigan State University study of auto workers, the equivalent of an eighth-grade mathematics education is adequate preparation for nonprofessional, high-tech work. Another MSU study by Nell Duke discovered that children in higher SES classrooms have richer print experiences than do less advantaged children. (MLH)

Investigates roles of parents in transmitting political values and attitudes to their children. Collected data from 275 households (n=275 adults and n=387 children) participating in a 1994 political values and attitudes study. Parents' gender, political activity, socioeconomic status, and family environment have an impact on degree of parent-child…

Examination of the prevalence of substance use among low socioeconomic status elementary and middle school Mexican American students identified with (n=150) or without (n=150) learning disabilities found no difference in substance abuse rate between the two groups. Risk factors for LD students included susceptibility to peer influence and…

Follows up an earlier age cohort study done in the 1980s. Discovered that, although differences in achievement related to gender and socioeconomic factors remained consistent and generally increased over time, greater change was found in patterns of ethnic differences. Discusses possible explanations for the findings and implications for…

The current obsession with standardizing curricula and measuring output may further reduce teacher agency and marginalize segments of our society that are already cheated by the system. Enormous discrepancies exist among public-school facilities, resources, and teachers. Multicultural education will suffer unless legislatures address these…

Examines a family literacy program based in a disadvantaged area of Scotland, to show how deficit views of children and their parents (feeling that one's own ways of speaking and writing are "wrong") might be challenged and overcome so that real learning can take place, learning that focuses on people's strengths and different types of…

Discusses U.S. economic trends for the past century. Notes that distribution of wealth is more concentrated at top than is distribution of income, with income inequality growing worse in the 1990s. Maintains that wealth disparity explains achievement test score gaps between white and minority students. Presents proposals for asset-building,…