Discusses the ways in which literature reflects how the American economic system conspires to make it impossible for the black man to progress, no matter how he plays the economic game. Notes that the fathers created by black American writers have attempted to deal with their economic plight in numerous ways. (Author/JM)

Counselors who are really interested in motivating urban youth must come to recognize the importance of a strength-oriented approach to guidance. They must stop talking about deficits and, instead, identify and use the unique strengths of urban adolescents. Success counseling is one technique that can be used to facilitate this process. (Author)

Presents information on who gets medical care and what the needs for medical care are. A proposal for a National Health Service for mothers and children and what services this should include is presented along with other recommendations for reform. [Available from American Public Health Association, Inc., 1015 Eighteenth Street, N.W. Washington,…

The article examines the role of literacy training and adult basic education in alleviating the socio-economic problems of the disadvantaged adult. (MW)

The 15 papers presented in this conference report explore changes in Appalachian mountain life over the preceding three decades; the persistence of old problems, economic and cultural; and alternative paths for the future. Opening remarks by Wendell Berry focus on the value of community and on the survival of a community in an externally…

This document presents the record of a hearing on the reauthorization of the Demonstration Partnership Program (DPP), part of the Community Services Block Grant Act. The program offers community action agencies the opportunity to test new methods for reducing dependency and fostering self-sufficiency among the poor. Six agency representatives…

This facilitator's guide and participant packet were designed to teach women how the U.S. economic system works and were developed by a coalition of more than 40 national religious groups working toward economic justice for women. The facilitator's guide consists of a section explaining the coalition, a section on the development of the materials…

At a time when many families across all income levels are experiencing greater stress and when child poverty is at record levels, the school cannot function as an isolated institution. Instead, public education has been thrust into the more responsible position of helping young needy families achieve self-sufficiency. There is a pressing need for…

An extensive survey of empirical research on education as related to poverty, growth, and income distribution is presented, with the focus on 21 developing nations. The study uses the latest available data on alternative measures of income distribution, income shares of various population groups by income classes, and poverty ratios. The analysis…

Changes in the Federal food stamp program have resulted in a reduction in the number of eligible people receiving needed food assistance and a weakening of the "safety net" that protects the needy from poverty, unemployment, and high medical costs. Blacks and Hispanic Americans appear to have been disproportionately affected by these…

The Food Stamp Program is the U.S. government's primary program to prevent the rural poor from going hungry. Food stamp allotments are set each year based on the cost of the "Thrifty Food Plan" (TFP), a minimally adequate diet defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which sets costs by examining average food prices in urban…

This document presents some understandings of the total labor force and the total job market and suggests some basic interpretations of their meaning. It provides five clarifying statements regarding expected changes in the workforce between 1986 and 2000: (1) growth in the labor force does not necessarily mean growth in jobs; (2) it is unlikely…

This paper presents an overview of poverty in rural America, and examines the ways in which improved education could alleviate rural poverty. The question of education as a mechanism to reduce poverty includes issues of economic demand and supply. On the demand side, labor market projections indicate that the service sector will continue to grow,…

These 13 short stories were written specifically for new adult readers. Each story is narrated by a fictional character from Appalachia. The words are relatively simple and the texts are printed in large-print type. The book, produced for Kentucky literacy programs, has "choices" as its theme. Each story deals with an important decision…

Experience gathered to date confirms that capitation of Medicare does not necessarily decrease quality of health care and may in fact encourage an improvement in health care quality. Incentives inherent in capitated reimbursement are threefold. First, practitioners, by not receiving more payment for more service, are discouraged from providing…