This article examines reasons for the underrepresentation of minority groups in programs for gifted students and describes Project STEP-UP (Systematic Training for Educational Programs for Underserved Pupils), a program to train teachers, administrators, and parents of high potential minority economically disadvantaged students in 12 school…

Examines the success of two Massachusetts charter schools in educating at-risk students. The author compares the history, organizational structure and governance, graduation success, enrollment levels, and student composition of each school. (GLR)

Public obsession with issues of measurement, early intervention, promotion, suspension, education, age of exit, and alternative education dominates discourse on what can be done about high school dropouts. Additional controversial issues of societal structural interdependence are examined for their importance in education reform for minority and…

A review of statistics on the health status of young children in poverty and the conditions in which they live illustrates that the potential of a large portion of the next generation is being wasted. Some policies and programs are presented as incremental steps to protect poor children's health. (SLD)

The relationships between education and nutrition are addressed, with emphasis on the following: (1) research needed to help at-risk children; (2) policy recommendations to address the needs of at-risk children; and (3) innovative programs that address children's needs. Findings of a seminar on comprehensive social services for disadvantaged youth…

Social and economic problems facing U.S. children are reviewed, including poverty, hunger and homelessness, gaps in health and mental health services, infant mortality/morbidity, child abuse, drug use, and violence depicted in the mass media. Risk-taking behaviors that are children's responses and suggestions to remedy these problems are…

Policymakers must identify the numbers of homeless children and youth, and acknowledge the barriers that impede the education of such children. Recommendations are made for policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Interagency collaboration among health care providers, private advocacy groups, and human resources agencies is also…

To understand the African-American family, the African-American poor and middle class must be investigated. Extra costs mean that it is much harder for African Americans to reach the middle class. Ways to improve the economic status of African-American families and to increase the middle class are discussed. (SLD)

Increasing the learning of economics among 76 public high school seniors from lower socioeconomic levels by teaching them to use generative comprehension procedures in cooperative learning groups was attempted. Comparison with 66 controls indicated facilitative effects of generative teaching in increasing confidence in correctness of answers and…

Compares attitudes toward the homeless in Japan and the United States through a survey of 268 Japanese and 254 U.S. adults and adolescents interviewed in public places. In Japan, homelessness is seldom discussed, and poverty, which may be as widespread as in the United States, is often not recognized. (SLD)

This case study of 72 homeless families and their 78 children in day care at a large welfare hotel in New York City evaluates the children's health status, separation and attachment, sleep patterns, eating patterns, emotional status, attention span, gross motor development, speech and language development, and cognitive development. (JDD)

Argues that Chapter 1 has done little to improve student achievement and may prevent disadvantaged students from catching up. The most glaring problem is the perverse incentive structure that rewards failure rather than success. If student scores rise, and the number of educationally disadvantaged declines, schools will lose funds. (SLD)

Although the plight of cities seems nearly hopeless, three new-style big city mayors have emerged to try ideas deserving study by other cities. Edward Rendell of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), John Norquist of Milwaukee (Wisconsin), and Stephen Goldsmith of Indianapolis (Indiana) are demonstrating that U.S. cities can be made to work. (SLD)

Due to disappearing jobs and large-scale automated production of goods and services, schools face a choice between "kallikakization" (creating and perpetuating a split between the comfortably endowed and the deprived) and achieving a new balance in social regulation/control arrangements. Postmodern schools can avoid kallikakization by…

A study investigated attitudes of 147 high school students toward participation in an instructional unit to encourage development of work ethic, appropriate work attitudes, and employability skills, including interpersonal skills, initiative, and dependability. A majority found the unit helpful and the instructional methods appropriate. (MSE)