Data from the 1988 Phi Delta Kappa National Research Study on at-risk students were used in an analysis of variables associated with being classified as "at risk." The study collected information on over 22,000 at-risk and not-at-risk students from 274 schools and 9,600 teachers from across the United States. This analysis identified…

The results of a 2-year study examining the ways that four major urban school systems (New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston) sort students into different schools, tracks, ability groups, and grade levels are summarized in this report. The study looked carefully at the effects of these sorting practices on low-income, minority, limited…

This report discusses the school-to-work transition process of Hispanic youth in Boston. The report was prepared in response to the high rates of unemployment and participation in low-paying service sector jobs by Hispanics and was funded by a grant from the Hispanic Policy Development Project as part of a national effort to identify key public…

The evaluation of the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools' Summer Program focused on academic achievement of its students, grades K-8, who participated in 1985. Courses included arts and crafts as well as basic and remedial instruction in reading, mathematics, and language. The achievement gains of summer school students were compared to the whole…

The Success in Reading and Writing Program used in the District of Columbia Public Schools in 1985-86 is described and evaluated. The program, used in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, employed a variety of materials, as well as the students' own writing. Instruction lasted approximately 2.5 hours each school day. The program connected reading…

An examination of Chapter 1 services delivered in St. Louis, Missouri and Lincoln, Nebraska, the coordination of those services with other categorical programs, and the effectiveness of those services for Chapter 1 students revealed the following conclusions: (1) relatively few Chapter 1 students receive multiple categorical program services; (2)…

This paper reports short- and long-term outcomes of the Direct Instruction Head Start and Follow Through program model. Based on the premise that positive reinforcement is essential to maximum academic success, the Direct Instruction program was developed from an academic preschool model which specified exactly what children needed in order to…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) adopted a new and more specific policy about elementary student retention in the 1981-82 school year. Students will be at least 1 year behind in their reading levels at grades 1 through 6 and/or 1 year behind in mathematics competencies at grades 4 through 6 to be considered for retention. Within the…

The evaluation design for the Austin Independent School District 1982 summer school program for elementary retainees is described. The evaluation is meant to focus on short-term skill mastery in reading and mathematics and the long-term achievement growth of the participants. Separate reading objectives and materials in Spanish and English…

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) including the 1976 follow-up were used to examine the effects of interrupting or delaying school attendance on the eventual educational attainment of white male students. Background variables include socioeconomic and other family characteristics. Achievement test…

The 1968-69 evaluation of Kentucky's Rural Child Care Project had 5 major objectives: to assess the relationship between a child's attendance in a Child Development Center and his subsequent intellectual performance and academic achievement in elementary school; to evaluate the impact of changes in the Child Development Program itself on…

The Georgia Prekindergarten Program was established in 1993 to provide the state's 4-year-olds with high-quality preschool experiences. Beginning in the 1996-1997 school year, a sample of 3,639 children enrolled in 1 of 203 randomly selected Georgia prekindergarten classes was selected for a 5-year longitudinal study. The study examined how…

This study was a follow-up to one that gathered baseline data on aspects of Grade 1 as part of the on-going Statewide Texas Educational Progress Study (STEPS). While the Grade 1 study was limited to teachers' perceptions of student performance, this follow-up focused on factors most related to actual end-of-year student status. The purposes of the…

This paper considers the economic impact to the K-12 education system in the state of Wisconsin and in the district of Milwaukee from expanding provision of pre-kindergarten, which is known in Wisconsin as four-year-old kindergarten (4K). The proposed investment would make 4K available to a significantly larger number of children in the state.…

Urban elementary school teachers completed a checklist designed to determine a profile of the most significant factors that caused students to be at risk. Results indicated there were eight important factors: academic risk, behavior and coping skills, social withdrawal, family income, parenting, language development, retention, and attendance. (SM)