This paper poses a question of direct relevance for welfare administrators, program operators, and policy makers: What management practices, program strategies, and local conditions are key to running effective welfare-to-work programs? To address this question, the present analysis links detailed measures of program characteristics to valid and…

A study evaluated the basic skills and employment prospects of current adult Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients. It performed an analysis for the United States as a whole and separate analyses for nearly all the 75 most populous U.S. counties, plus the District of Columbia. These counties contained 43 percent of the nation's…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District (AISD) prekindergarten program activities for the 2003-2004 school year.

The validity of a number of criticisms of community colleges' success in extending educational opportunity to students of low socioeconomic status was studied in 15 Florida community colleges. The results of data analysis of former community college students are discussed. (MLW)

Examines mobility's underside, including confused and rootless children and frustrated teachers. One in six third-graders has attended at least three schools. Schools with the highest mobility rates are poor, urban, and increasingly less accountable. Educators cannot remedy mobility's social causes, but are helping transient kids with electronic…

Describes a study of economically disadvantaged first and second graders in Chile that evaluated the effects of the introduction of educational videogames into the classroom on mathematics and reading comprehension. Investigated effects on learning, motivation, and classroom dynamics; teachers' expectations of change; and technological transfer.…

Examines relationship between family support and health of children. Reviews the impact of the decline in structural support for child rearing, examines the health effects of support provided in home visitation programs, and considers the health and welfare effects of the provision of day care services for children. Emphasizes results of…

This case study examines the perspectives and practice of elementary mathematics teaching of a second grade teacher (Cathy Swift) in a large, socioeconomically disadvantaged California community as she attempts to implement California's Mathematics Curriculum Framework. This teacher's beliefs/knowledge and policy influences often conflicted. (TJH)

Examines the history and importance of parent involvement in schools. Explores ways that urban schools can increase the participation of poor and minority parents. Suggests that schools might develop wider community partnerships. (FMW)

A college professor and former professional football player, a university athletics director, and a sports sociologist offer their perspectives on the role of college sports in providing disadvantaged students with access to higher education. Issues discussed include the history of race and professional sports, colleges' responsibilities to…

Describes goals, beneficiaries, offerings, locations, and providers of six current school-linked service efforts. Identifies several integrating elements needed for systemic reforms to make school-linked services produce more successful outcomes for children and families. Programmatic initiatives must complement deep-reaching changes in ways…

Examines the relationship between government programs and individuals within the family context, describing past and present efforts of the federal government toward integrated services. Emphasis is on initiatives of the Department of Health and Human Services. Current shifts in primary responsibility are translated into increasing state and local…

Investigates the relative frequency with which U.S. subjects with a non-English first language use English vis-a-vis their other non-English languages. Data from the 1976 Survey of Income and Education (over 150,000 households) indicate that societal pressure and demographic constraints on interactions in non-English languages influence language…

Preschool and kindergarten programs for poor and middle-class children fell into three types: (1) didactic programs, which stressed academic skills and had relatively negative social environments; (2) child-centered programs, which deemphasized academic skills and had positive social environments; and (3) intermediate programs, which fell between…

Describes initiatives undertaken by the Job Corps in recent years to improve the educational abilities of the enrollees served, and reports results of various research efforts to examine the effectiveness of some of these initiatives. Evidence suggests that Job Corps initiatives have improved basic skills of students. (SLD)