Designed to provide a basis for sound child welfare policy decisions, this book presents current state and national data, as well as data from many cities and counties, on child maltreatment. The six chapters in the book present statistics on: (1) child abuse and neglect, including child abuse fatalities; (2) out-of-home care; (3) adoption; (4)…

The economic condition of black Americans is discussed, proceeding from the assumption that black economic progress does not depend on a renewed struggle for unobtained civil rights, but rather on the creative response of black Americans to economic opportunity and problems. In the long run, black economic development must rely on the…

These two Kids Count brief reports discuss issues related to the well-being of Rhode Island children. The first report identifies ways to measure the impact of state and federal welfare reform proposals on children who receive benefits through Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Potential measures of success for welfare reform include…

Rural poverty in Sindh, Pakistan, has been artificially created by low prices of wheat, fixed by the federal government's price control board. Agriculture and agro-based industries account for 80 percent of the country's labor force. Among the consequences of this price control are low margins of profit to the farming community; low capacity to…

In 1995, politicians from both parties proposed legislation to reduce funding for welfare programs and mandated a new block grant system designed to eliminate entitlement to assistance. This defense manual was written to help people who believe in democratic rights fight for a generous and effective safety net for the poor. It is recognized that…

The support strategies used by young Latina mothers in the United States were studied. One focus was on the young mothers' living arrangements, and the other was how young mothers support themselves and their children through employment or public assistance. The analysis is based on data from the 1990 U.S. Census for 5,280 teen mothers and 23,151…

Implementation is the challenge facing any attempts to reform the U.S. welfare service system. Without consideration of an implementation strategy, a reform plan will be destined to fail. Because many planners of welfare reform may be unfamiliar with program initiation, planners need a guide to assist implementation. This report provides planners…

This report displays 1990 U.S. census data for Colorado and each of its 63 counties. Selected characteristics include population, English as a Second Language, educational attainment, labor force participation, poverty status, and public assistance income. Data, which may be useful in examining assumptions made concerning those characteristics,…

This paper reviews the literature on rural poverty in the Northeast relating to rural education and makes suggestions for educators who teach the rural poor. Against the theory of a "culture of poverty," which suggests that the rural poor avoid hard work by choice, the more recent view is that the poor often accept the Puritan work ethic…

School districts throughout Pennsylvania are attempting to implement new state regulations, including the establishment of new standards for high school graduation. As school districts consider standards, they should also make sure that all students have the opportunity to meet those standards. This includes insuring that all students leave third…

This study sought to determine whether differences existed between infants from low socioeconomic status (SES) families and those from high SES families in the occipital rhythmic activity of the brain, as recorded in their electroencephalograms (EEGs), as well as in other developmental measures. Ten low SES white infants and 10 high SES white…

The current patchwork of programs designed to ameliorate poverty has failed. Efforts to alleviate poverty by expanding educational opportunities have also had little impact. Poverty among youth has increased during the past two decades even though federal funds for reducing poverty have grown and median educational attainment has increased.…

This report summarizes a postconference evaluation of the "Linking Family and Community Strengths" conference, held in Louisville, Kentucky, in June 1996, and describes 12 community projects based on conference lessons. Six months after the conference, an evaluation was completed by 100 of 192 participants. The conference aimed to…

Intended to encourage and facilitate research, policy development, and advocacy on issues relevant to those who are in poverty despite employment, this bibliography lists 145 articles and studies focusing on the working poor. Following a description of the search method and a guide to the bibliography, the references are divided into two sections.…

This study sought to separate the effect of concentrated poverty on students' academic achievement and to develop a simple method for demonstrating that effect. The study was conducted in a midwestern urban school district with characteristics particularly suitable for answering these questions. It used two years worth of data on elementary school…