Reviews "Nonprofits for Hire" (Steven R. Smith and Michael Lipsky), on the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing or accepting government purchase-of-service contracts; "Birthmothers" (Merry B. Jones); "Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect" (National Research Council); and "Young, Poor, and Pregnant"…

McKinney et al. assert that most studies of child development focus on European-American middle class children and do not consider the ecology of children's development. They recommend that researchers include diversity and context in the research agenda. Fabes et al. respond by advising researchers how to evaluate the importance of social…

Analyzing data from 1,033 African American mothers, results indicate that household income, time on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and number of children are the strongest predictor of nonmarriage. The conclusions support previous findings that never-married mothers suffer more economic hardship than formerly married mothers. (JPS)

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)

Reviews "Health Care Reform and Child Welfare" (DeWoody) on addressing the needs of abused and neglected children; and "Deadly Consequences" (Prothrow-Stith and Weissman) on the violence destroying the teenage population and ways to begin solving the problem. (HTH)

"Star" urban teachers are driven by the desire to develop good people. Their undergirding ideology is high expectations for low-income students, and they see their role as fundamentally different from that of other teachers. (SK)

Explores prospects for self-government for the Native peoples of Canada. Reviews the historical background of the Native community's loss of political autonomy. Explains how missionary efforts and the ethnocentric views of Europeans disrupted the community's culture and individual families. Identifies education as the key to effective self-rule in…

Today's truant officer is more often a counselor or a social worker than a "hooky cop" assigned to enforce compulsory attendance laws. Attempting to resolve the problems keeping kids out of school, many truant officers walk unsavory neighborhoods and find themselves immersed in heartbreaking stories or abusive situations. (MLH)

The politics, economic status, and attitudes toward education among the elderly are examined, with demographic figures showing declining poverty among the elderly, a lack of homogeneity, influence from political organizations, factors influencing their support of education, and the relationship of higher education and the elderly. (DB)

Interviews with 30 Indian homicide offenders revealed common life-history elements: poverty, early separation from family, environment of social disorganization, culture conflict, values derived from a subculture of violence, and alcohol and drug abuse. These are related to antecedents in internal colonialism suffered by American Indians. Contains…

Observes that, although Canada enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world, children now make up its largest group of poor people. Reports that there are five million functionally illiterate Canadians, one-third of whom are high school graduates. Calls for a major overhaul of Canada's educational system. (SG)

Comparison of samples of U.S. and Swedish children showed the proportion of children whose family income was below the poverty line was similar. Because all Swedish poor children received social transfers and transfers were more generous in Sweden, a much lower percentage of Swedish children were poor after transfers and taxes. (SK)

Reviews community development in Latin America (self-help local improvement projects, popular education, nongovernmental organizations). Identifies challenges--increasing the participation of all levels, reorganizing priorities, and supporting the development of economic democracy. (SK)

Includes "Fighting for Equality on All Fronts" (Fromont); "Three Questions for Mrs. Lucille Caron"; "Women Shoulder the Burden of Cambodia's Economy" (Roess); and "Renewing Their Relationship with the Land" (Mehra-Kerpelman). (SK)

Demonstrates that conclusions drawn from statistics concerning racial disparities in income, infant mortality, sports participation, and other areas may be partly or wholly wrong, because disparities generally increase as conditions improve. Observes that flawed uses of statistics abound; points out some common errors in interpretation. (DM)