Despite equal opportunity legislation since 1954, the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening. Divisive legislation that supports the needs of one group over another can lead to a caste and class society. Equal opportunity must be provided for all. (Author/ST)

Adult education programs can ameliorate the structural causes of urban poverty by organizing the poor for community development and literacy and cultural education. (SK)

Explores the problem of health care utilization from both the structural and personal perspectives. Analyzes traditional health care beliefs and practices, and the interplay between these beliefs and practices and the modern health care system. (Author/RLV)

Comments on the health of migrant farmworkers in the U.S. and the Border Industrialization ("twin plants") Program with a brief description of the unique U.S.-Mexico border region, emphasizing the status of air pollution, housing, nutrition, and health care. Available from Southwest Economy & Society, Box 4482, Albuquerque, New…

Examined whether neighborhoods influenced the likelihood of high school graduation for a cohort of African-American children who were followed from 1966 to 1993. Found that living in a poverty census tract did not seem to influence the likelihood of high school graduation or school leaving over and above the impact of family and individual…

Documents the activities, resources, and relationships available to three gifted urban elementary public school children living in poverty and describes their adjustment at home and at school over a three-year period. Despite their mothers' active involvement in their education, the children experienced limited academic opportunities. (CR)

Account of the underground culture of sexual slavery of young girls. Children from Nepal are being lured in large numbers into the sex industry in Bombay, India. Describes the process by which children are seduced and coerced into this bondage with active support from political and law enforcement leaders. (LSR)

Recommends the integration of cultural socialization and identity processes in learning within educational research in order to improve educational outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities and youth facing persistent intergenerational poverty. Suggests that educational researchers must understand the cultural niches in which young people develop,…

Presents a litany of flaws in the No Child Left Behind Act that adversely affect low-income and minority students. Urges a new federal law that truly promotes high-quality schooling supported by fair assessments and accountability. (Contains 24 references.) (MLF)

In 2000 the nonmetro poverty rate was 13.4 percent, the lowest level on record; was 2.8 percentage points higher than the metro rate; and was highest in the West and the South, which also had the largest rural-urban disparities. The nonmetro child poverty rate was 19 percent, compared to 13 percent for nonelderly adults, a persistent disparity for…

An inner-city Maryland school that serves 610 students coming from 37 different countries and speaking 25 different languages has created a caring, inclusive community by providing kids with incentives, stability, and a chance to celebrate their various cultures at a community exhibition center. Dedicated staff accept no excuses for truancy and…

Discusses a thematic approach that can be used to integrate service learning into the introductory sociology curriculum. Describes the different institutional contexts that may influence its effectiveness, the course content and objectives, the service-learning component, use of themes, and student outcomes. (CMK)

Discusses studies on the housing outcomes of welfare recipients to examine the potential influence of welfare reform on housing instability, which influences school instability. State studies suggest that welfare reform has increased rates of family mobility, evictions, and sharing housing. Limited research suggests that housing instability and…

Birthmothers in the Republic of Marshall Islands were studied to explore influences leading to the decision to relinquish their child for international adoption. Findings reflect an environment of extreme poverty and lack of resources, breakdown of traditional family support systems, and the exploitation of the cultural understanding of adoptions,…

Poorer families are financially constrained, or some characteristics of the family make the children less likely to participate in postcompulsory education. Proposes a methodology that separates financial and familial effects. Finds that while pupils from poorer families are less likely to invest in education, the family-characteristics effects…