Surveyed Albanian and Swedish children to compare fears and determine if fear of war is a main worry of schoolchildren in an unstable country. Reported criminals, animals, and darkness as top fears of Albanian children while war, environment, and death were top fears of Swedish children. Suggests sociocultural context as an important explanatory…

Describes the experiences of a group of Head Start professionals as they spread the word about Head Start in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Provides a day-by-day itinerary for the nine-day trip and descriptions of the visits to various schools and learning centers. (MOK)

This article describes Federal income maintenance programs for people with mental retardation in the United States. Combined Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Disability Insurance (DI) totaled an estimated $20.6 billion for people with mental retardation in 2000. Discussion focuses on the relative importance of these programs for this…

Describes a sociology experiential learning assignment where students learned why people living in poverty can sometimes pay more for products than people with better incomes. Focuses specifically on the rent to own concept. States students achieved the goal of learning how life constraints of poverty can hinder the poor from overcoming their…

Draws on research on families of seasonal migrant laborers in Mexico to consider the role of work in socializing children growing up in extreme poverty. Argues migrant work represents an effective form of socialization that prepares children for their future. Discusses whether minimum employment age should be raised from 8 to 14 years and the…

Discusses issues in conceptualising the education of poor and marginalized adults in Latin America. Notes that education is key to sustainable development, peace, and stability. Argues that reconceptualization of adult education, informed by an understanding of everyday work practices, helps to understand ways in which education contributes to…

The Lower Mississippi Delta region, especially the rural Delta, faces many economic challenges. The rural Delta has received much federal aid in basic income support and funding for human resource development, but less for community resource programs, which are important for economic development. Federal aid to the Delta is analyzed in terms of…

Investigated the impact of neighborhoods on student achievement using demographic data from school officials, 4th and 6th grade achievement scores, and the 1990 Census from two mid-sized urban school districts. Neighborhood type affected the students. Students who dealt with higher levels of certain socioeconomic, environmental, and neighborhood…

Studied the effects a high stakes test designed to end social promotion would have on poor black students in the 39 Georgia counties characterized as "declining rural counties." Findings suggest such tests would have a disparate impact on African American children, limiting their educational attainment. Illustrates the argument with the…

Reviews major developments in Vietnam over the past decade as it moves from a socialist to a market economy. Examines the labor market, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system and its role in helping returned exiles find employment. Concludes there was limited success in reintegration of returnees. (CAJ)

Asserts that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which is intended to close the achievement gap by improving schools, may be largely ineffective due to several of its questionable assumptions (e.g, school attendance is valued by and valuable to all individuals, and education creates opportunities). Suggests that simply providing the poor…

A study of Hispanic socioeconomic achievement in 100 mid-sized U.S. metropolitan areas found that Hispanics in areas with small Hispanic populations fared best in terms of educational attainment, employment, and income. Nevertheless, although better educated than non-Hispanics, Hispanics in areas of low Hispanic density still had lower per-capita…

Analyzes impact of court-mandated school-finance reform in New Jersey. Finds, for example, that while the state's poorest urban districts have benefited from the reform efforts, systematic inequities inherent in the state's system of school funding have not been addressed. (Contains 21 references.) (PKP)

Studied variability in mother-child attachment security among high-risk families living in poverty. Maternal sensitivity and the presence of appropriate play materials were assessed. Findings indicated that maternal, child, and contextual variables were significantly associated with attachment security. Furthermore, greater cumulative assets were…

The Chicago school system is currently undergoing its third wave of school reform in 10 years, and schools struggling the most through this process are located in African American neighborhoods. Draws on existing literature concerning Chicago's urban communities and schools to review the historical interplay between urban processes and school…