The College Scholarship Service (CSS) need analysis system is described in this comprehensive guide. It includes information about the basic rationale, the economic principles, and the computational procedures used in the CSS system. The chapters deal with the following: principles and practices of student financial aid administration; the history…

Over the past 30 years, welfare and other public programs for poor families have focused increasingly on promoting parents' self-sufficiency by requiring and supporting employment. Evidence from a diverse set of random-assignment experiments now reveals some of the conditions under which promoting work among low-income, single parents helps or…

Americans have concluded that the achievement gap is the fault of "failing schools" because it makes no common sense that it could be otherwise. After all, how much money a family has, or a child's skin color, should not influence how well that child learns to read. If teachers know how to teach and if schools permit no distractions,…

This report examines the use of computers and the Internet by American children enrolled in nursery school and students in kindergarten through grade 12. The report examines the overall rate of use (that is, the percentage of individuals in the population who are users), the ways in which students use the technologies, where the use occurs (home,…

This study tested a causal model of the development of spatial visualization based on a synthesis of past and present research. During the summer and fall of 1999, 117 third- and fourth-year undergraduates majoring in architecture, mathematics, mathematics education, and mechanical engineering completed a spatial visualization test and a…

This report presents data on demographic, social, and economic characteristics of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau collected this information in the March 1999 supplement to the Current Population Survey. Topics include: geographic distribution (most Asians and Pacific Islanders live in the West in…

Standard benefit-incidence analysis assumes that the subsidy and the quality of educational services are the same for all income deciles. This paper takes a new approach, a "marginal willingness to pay" analysis that measures the impact of the government's provision of public schools on the educational spending behavior of an average…

Although it is likely that there will be a substantial number of children who remain poor in spite of considerable work effort by their parents as families leave welfare roles, there has been relatively little research on children in working poor families. The primary purpose of this project is to develop a definition of working poor families and…

Lower birth weight babies have worse outcomes, both short-run in terms of one year mortality rates and longer run in terms of educational attainment and earnings. However, recent research has called into question whether birth weight itself is important or whether it simply reflects other hard-to-measure characteristics. By applying within twin…

Examines the literature on delayed parenting and draws educational implications for relationships between home and school. (BB)

Forty-four urban young adults with mental retardation participated in an employment training program which assessed trainees' interests and abilities and taught them self-evaluation, negotiation, occupational skills, and employability behaviors. Thirty-five completed training; 94% became competitively employed. Gender, residence, race,…

Traditional measures indicating little net change in long-term poverty for children between the late 1960s and the early 1980s mask certain statistical and demographic changes. A rise in female-based households, fewer well-paying jobs for younger workers, and greater dependence on social assistance have offset smaller family sizes and parental…

An annual analysis of external factors affecting higher education and its governance identified five priority areas, in descending order of importance: (1) public opinion toward higher education; (2) family income and savings rate; (3) demographic trends, particularly concerning nontraditional students; (4) national educational policy; and (5) the…

Goodlad believes that schools and leadership training should stress renewal, not reform. The workplace cannot survive unless people are educated for democracy and its responsibilities. Vouchers should supplement a child's education, not subsidize private schools. Improving family resources is the best way to address poverty and raise achievement.…

A phenomenological study of a 26-member involved-parent culture unearthed a conception: involved parents participate in their own and other children's lives both inside and outside schools. The portrait of an involved parent is more multicultural (and multifaceted) than commonly portrayed. Educators should welcome minority parents. (Contains 34…