Reviews the changing nature of the Puerto Rican community in New York City. The article examines the internal changes in the community, such as family structure and economic status, which have created two separate Puerto Rican groups: (1) two-parent families who are well-educated and economically well-off; and (2) single-parent, meagerly educated…

Describes one New York City teacher's project to establish a book store in school offering quality, low cost titles to children. Covers the funding process, physical set-up, parent involvement, staffing with student workers, stocking the store, hours of operation, and positive student and parent response. (JB)

Presents the opinions of nine professionals serving the justice system on the issue of providing representation in criminal and civil cases for those unable to pay for lawyers. Includes questions about the obligations of lawyers to provide counsel and the differences between legal representation in civil and criminal cases. (CFR)

Discusses educational reform at three New England elementary schools. It examines one school's exploration of new organization and leadership ideas, another school's efforts to improve the educational quality of ethnic and minority students, and another's increase in parental involvement by means of a family center. (GLR)

Examines rap music's origins as street music and poetry in the early 1970s and as an expression of Black youth experience. Discusses rap groups, women and Whites in rap, Christian rap, copyright disputes, and distribution difficulties. Rap is an informal educational medium that affects adolescents' values and attitudes. (JB)

Describes three specific programs developed in Sri Lanka to provide library services to urban and rural poor people. Providing reading material to children to help raise literacy levels is emphasized, resources required for these extension services are examined, and the responsibility for the administration of the projects is considered. (LRW)

Describes and evaluates the educational program and outcomes of the Anne Frank Haven, which focuses on integrating city-born children from low socioeconomic groups and different cultural backgrounds with Kibbutz children; providing a holistic approach to education; and involving the whole community in an "open" residential school. (DMM)

Guidelines for building collaboration between education and social services are based on an Arizona superintendent's experiences in the establishment on school district grounds of a family assistance center staffed with 20 workers. (MLF)

Effects of adult mediation and literacy-enriched play settings in Head Start classrooms on environmental and functional print tasks were studied for 177 minority preschoolers in poverty. Results indicate that the active engagement of adult mediators in literacy-enriched office play settings influenced children's ability to read environmental…

Responds to criticism of Head Start by outlining Head Start's goals and design; reviewing research studies of the program's effectiveness; discussing the cost of funding quality programs; and providing examples of expanded Head Start programs that serve infants, toddlers, and school age children, and examples of creative uses of supplementary…

Explores the view of motherhood and the concept of mother love as a killer in Toni Morrison's novels "Sula" (1973) and "Beloved" (1987). The triple nature of mother love as destructive materially, emotionally, and literally is examined in the context of African-American women's struggles. (SLD)

An evaluation of efforts by the Carter and Reagan Administrations to reduce fraud, error, and mismanagement in social programs is provided, examining the food stamp program as an example. Data available do not make it possible to say whether these administrative and political efforts actually decreased fraud and error. (SLD)

Economic justice means taking the personhood of poor people into account; respecting their needs, personal ambitions, rights, and dignity; and affording equal opportunity and equal access to education, health care, housing, and jobs. Examples of injustice to minority groups are provided, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (SLD)

This study investigated differences between coping behavior of 25 developmentally disabled and 25 nondisabled children (age 4-34 months) from lower- and middle-income family backgrounds. Assessment of three adaptive-coping behaviors (sensorimotor organization, reactive behavior, and self-initiated behavior) indicated that nondisabled children…

Basic Skills Assessment Program reading scores for all South Carolina students in grades 1-3 and 6 were analyzed. Failure to meet state standards was higher among younger, male, Black, and lunch-subsidized students. Risk of failure was still higher for younger students after controls for race, gender and lunch-payment status. (Author/PB)