Studied the effects of poor school funding and child poverty on mathematics achievement in U.S. schools using data from the Second International Mathematics Study. Results suggest the substantial and statistically significant net effects on mathematics achievement of level of school funding and child poverty. (SLD)

Responds to a critique of an article on the advantage of reading instructional approaches emphasizing explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle for at-risk children. While the critique suggested it was an over-simplistic solution to a complex problem, this response suggests there are some instructional principles that can be used to enhance…

Maintains that Republican-proposed tax cuts would disproportionately reward the wealthiest American taxpayers. Suggests that investing in early childhood education programs would yield a higher return than the proposed tax cuts, and identifies cognitive and social benefits of early childhood programs, especially for children in poor families.…

Uses a systems approach to reframe welfare assistance as well-being for the many, not welfare for the few. The framework outlines the state of family economic functioning (crisis, at risk, safe, thriving), type of welfare assistance (entitlement, subsidy, self-sufficiency, sustainability), poverty levels (below, at, 150%, 200%), and supports…

Provides a preliminary examination of the relationship between exposure to community violence and academic functioning in a group of 45 African American children living in an impoverished urban environment. The role of family achievement expectations and religion were evaluated as moderators of the relationship between community violence and…

Compares the earnings and work efforts of young nonresidential fathers, residential fathers, and men without children. Results indicate that nonresidential fathers earned less, had lower hourly wages, and worked fewer hours than the other groups of men, primarily because of lower levels of education and job training. (RJM)

Summarizes findings of a study of resource equity in the Chicago Public Schools. Despite a reform emphasis on increasing school funding equity, success was mixed. The distribution of base funding for K-12 education is horizontally equitable to some degree. Equity diminishes as various special and categorical funds are included. As schools gain…

Reviews policy approaches to, and legislation for, community revitalization. Discusses how early federal policies contributed to the segregation and isolation of poor neighborhoods and describes how new community-based programs counter the urban disinvestment practices that fostered segregation. Outlines policies that recognize the need for…

Offers an extended discussion of poverty and class in America. Explores definitions of class and the government's role in the maintenance of poverty and wealth. Presents alternative explanations for the causes of poverty in the United States. Brings into question the functionalist axiom that literacy is a tool for school and economic success. (RS)

A Massachusetts school board member's travels with Global Volunteers have provided an opportunity to see how people of different cultures live and work. Global Volunteers is a nonprofit organization that sends small groups of volunteers to developing countries or to underprivileged areas in Mississippi and Texas to help local people with work…

Investigated whether stress and coping responses of African American youth were the result of violence exposure alone or an accumulation of stressors. Survey data indicated that violence experienced significantly predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms, but not preferred coping strategy. Life events, discrimination, violence exposure, neighborhood…

Investigated the distribution of teacher qualifications and professional growth opportunities across elementary schools of varying poverty levels. Teacher survey data indicated that there were no significant differences in teacher qualifications across low-, middle-, and high-poverty schools. Significant differences emerged in professional growth…

Discusses the potential of the Direct Instruction (DI) model to improve reading comprehension among children in high poverty schools, noting conditions under which the DI model will produce maximum gains in reading comprehension. The paper summarizes articles from this theme issue, which provide evidence that the DI model does improve student…

Discusses challenges particular to urban middle schools. Describes collaborative services programs, and culturally relevant teaching as two effective ways to meet some of those challenges. Offers the example of an effective urban teacher, and discusses moving from a pedagogy of poverty to a pedagogy of success. (SR)

This study investigates the effects of social and economic disadvantage on parent distress, family processes, and adolescent mental health in a longitudinal, multiethnic sample of 800 urban adolescents and parents. Findings show that poverty, life stressors, and isolation affect parent mood and disrupt family processes, which, in turn, are linked…