The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program is a statewide effort in Wisconsin to increase the academic achievement of children living in poverty by eventually reducing the student-teacher ratio in kindergarten through grade 3 to 15:1. During 1995-1996, the Sage program was implemented in 30 schools in 21 school districts. Over…

The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) is a statewide effort in Wisconsin to increase the academic achievement of children living in poverty by reducing the student-teacher ratio in kindergarten through third grade to 15:1. Schools participating in SAGE are also required to implement a rigorous curriculum, provide before- and…

In 1998, the Illinois statewide coalition Work, Welfare and Families, in partnership with the Chicago Urban League, undertook a study to assess the effects of welfare reform on low-income families and children across Illinois. The findings were derived from three sources: a self-administered survey of 2,166 low-income clients of Illinois social…

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private foundations, and invests in research and education to help rural communities meet the challenges of today's global society through a multidisciplinary network of university research and extension faculty, policy makers, and rural…

This paper reviews current literature about three tools used by teacher education programs and school districts to assess teacher candidate quality. It presents a matrix which aligns the underlying dimensions of teacher knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the STAR Teacher Interview, the Teacher Perceiver Interview, and the Praxis III Teacher…

This document, comprising volume 5, issues 1-3 of Learning Languages: The Journal of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL), includes the following articles: "Poverty, Race, and Foreign Language Immersion: Predictors of Math and English Language Arts Performance" (Stephen J. Caldas, Nicole Boudreaux); "Meet a…

A large-scale evaluation was conducted of Jobs-First GAIN, a strongly employment-focused mandatory welfare-to-work program. Its main features were an unusually intensive program orientation; high quality job clubs; job development activities; strong encouragement to take entry-level jobs and combine work and welfare in the short-term; and…

This report presents information on the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program in light of efforts at welfare reform. Following a listing of whom to call at the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) regarding various welfare issues, the report's first section, "Basic Facts on Welfare," presents information on the AFDC in a…

This study used regression analysis techniques to examine the current positions of women whose first child was born when they were teenagers, across countries in the European Union, based on the European Community Household Panel survey. Outcomes considered include educational attainment, family structure, family employment, and household income.…

This paper describes one urban school in the midst of change and renewal. J C Nalle Elementary School, Washington, DC, is a full-service community school that supports children and families. It is one of 85 schools with which the National Institute for Urban School Improvement is involved in partnerships for change. It is located in an…

This paper describes a multi-year evaluation of the Extended-Service Schools (ESS) Adaptation Initiative, sharing what has been learned about opening up schools and initiating collaborative school-based programs in poor communities during hours that school is not in session. The ESS included four unique school-community collaborative models. This…

This document consists of the 11 issues of the Children's Defense Fund (CDP) Report published during 1996. Issues discuss concerns related to child advocacy and provide information on problems in children's lives in the United States. Regular sections in each issue are the editorial column "A Voice for Children," a status report on…

Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners are often interested in a number of demographic characteristics of students, such as race and ethnicity, language background, immigration status, and poverty. For example, the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) legislation requires schools and districts to report student test scores…

One of the most complex aspects of the achievement gap--one that, by and large, is out of the direct control of educational leaders--is the income gap. Broadly defined, the income gap is the standard of living difference between rich and poor, but in the education system, the gap permeates deeply into many dimensions of a student's progression…

Key experts with extensive research and classroom experience examine how the multiple dimensions of race, class, culture, power, and knowledge interact in mathematics classrooms to foster and create inequities. Chapters explore new theoretical perspectives, describe successful classroom practices, and offer insights on how to develop an effective…