It has been argued that social isolation is the mechanism linking neighborhood disadvantage to residents' reduced life chances. Analysis of Chicago data on inner-city African American families (each containing a mother and adolescent child) found that families in poorer neighborhoods belonged to social networks with fewer resources but,…

Directed at the chronically unemployed, poor single parents, and welfare recipients, microenterprise programs provide access to loans and technical training for the express purpose of creating small-scale self-sufficient entrepreneurs no longer dependent on public support. Lessons from international microenterprise programs, federal funding…

Argues that preschool intellectual enrichment is the key to closing the education achievement gap between children from minority and poor families and children from white middle-class families. Presents evidence that high quality child care contributes to school readiness. Discusses the emergence of education as one of the major issues in the 2000…

This study examined the association between demographic factors and families' involvement in their children's education by using records of 35,057 preschool-aged children. Results indicated that poor parents, single parents, and parents who primarily spoke a non-English language at home participated significantly less in most of the involvement…

A mediation model was used to test effects of poverty on the mathematics and reading achievement of young adolescents. A revised model indicated that poverty was associated with mathematics and reading achievement indirectly. Associations depended upon level of cognitively stimulating home environments, emotionally supportive home environments,…

A study involving 109 female adolescents with serious emotional disturbances (ages 9-18) found the following risk factors for early pregnancy: being African American, low family income, dropping out of school, conduct disorder, and substance use disorder. However, according to multivariate analysis, only dropping out of school was a significant…

Outlines lessons learned during many missions undertaken in countries of the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia that were designed to set up psychosocial assistance programs to teach coping skills to children adversely affected by armed conflicts and the socioeconomic transition process from a planned to a market economy. (SM)

Summarizes a Federal Ministry of Youth report on the conditions under which children grow up in Germany. Notes manifold problems that children face under today's living conditions. Presents recommendations and suggestions for providing a network of measures, relationships, and institutions to support children's development and education in family,…

Explored relations between additive and cumulative representations of contextual risk, caregiver emotionality, child adaptability, and teacher reports of problem behaviors of 6- and 7-year-olds from economically disadvantaged families. Found evidence that the relation for cumulative risk may be moderated by caregiver negative emotionality and…

Investigated the meaning to participating mothers of their involvement in a family literacy program in a low income, urban neighborhood. Interviews with mothers involved in the Family Reading Program indicated that mothers were concerned for their children's welfare, engaged in literacy practices, and utilized appropriate help from the school.…

By choosing to classify its decoding approach as "real reading," a 1998 National Research Council report avoids discussing effects of real issues like poverty, race, class, and cultural identity on student achievement. Politicizing education muffles the rigorous academic debate concerning the grievances and educational needs of…

This article describes a program designed to provide early identification of developmental and behavioral problems of children who are at risk because of poverty. The three-tier approach provides general observations of child behaviors, a structured play group, and developmental screening and/or formal assessment. (DB)

The objective of this investigation was to examine how instructional practices in 107 first- and second-grade classrooms in 17 high poverty schools moderate the impact on literacy outcomes of literacy-related skills students bring to the classroom. Ratings of teaching effectiveness and time allocation to literacy activities were obtained. Twenty…

Major obstacles threaten the future of Ethiopia. Global publicity regarding the drought of 1986 has left the world with images of starving and orphaned Ethiopian children. Such conditions do still exist in parts of this nation, in which 45 percent of the population falls below the national poverty line (The World Factbook, 2003). In a nation of…

The purpose of this research was to examine the spontaneous responsiveness and attention during picture-book reading in 18-month-old to 24-month-old children from at-risk backgrounds. Twenty-five, 18-month-old children in an early intervention program were randomly assigned to a read condition or play condition for six months. At each seventh…