This report contains the principal materials prepared for the first year of the "Forum on Public/Private Social Concern," which focused on issues of disadvantaged young men in urban areas. The forum is an information exchange for funders and policymakers in government, foundation, and business sectors. Included is a report summarizing…

This booklet for teachers and administrators presents suggestions for addressing the needs of homeless children as they enter school, and for helping the children feel safe, comfortable, part of the group, able to contribute and participate, and important and valued. Tips and recommendations are presented under the following headings: (1) school…

This monograph used a qualitative orientation to examine the inadequacy of public assistance income in New York City as it affects material conditions among welfare families, their attempts to mitigate the negative consequences of income inadequacy through coping strategies, and the broader social environment within poor communities. The data…

Whether specification of focal group membership based on ethnicity as well as educational opportunity affects differential item functioning (DIF) of test items was studied. Subjects were 4,342 freshmen admitted to a large midwestern university who completed the 40-item Advanced Mathematics Placement Examination in the spring of 1991. There were…

This paper assesses the new immigration law and its impact on the growing minority segment of the U.S. labor force. It frames the issues raised by the law that concern non-Asian American minority citizens, presents evidence that supports these concerns, and suggests both short-term and long-term policy implications. The analysis begins with an…

This book is an ethnographic case study of the school experience of West Indian children in a high school in Toronto (Ontario, Canada), which focuses on how minorities fail to achieve upward social mobility through education. Chapter 1, "Black Cultural Forms in Schools," reviews theories of resistance and cultural inversion in the…

It is more than a quarter century since Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, the first major Federal legislation authorizing funds for compensatory education for the disadvantaged, came into effect. In 1981, Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) replaced Title I. Some Federal funding…

This newsletter describes the 6-year Supporting Diversity in Schools (SDS) project that seeks to create school environments free of racial prejudice and privilege. It briefly describes the program's working themes: (1) giving a voice to people who have traditionally been silent in the shaping of classroom practices; (2) developing pride in…

This report assesses the Acquisition of Learning by Facilitating Academics (Project ALFA), which is designed to assist the academic progress of Haitian students at Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, New York. Project ALFA served a total of 62 students of limited English proficiency who had attended an English-speaking school system for less than 5…

Although returns to military service may have been positive prior to Vietnam, since Vietnam the average veteran has neither benefited nor suffered economically from military service. Educational attainment is the primary reason veterans have earned more than nonveterans. Because the population as a whole has become more educated, military service…

The Maryland State Department of Education undertook a longitudinal study of the Extended Elementary Education Prekindergarten Program (which covers prekindergarten through grade 3) in order to examine the school performance of program participants and a comparable nonpreschool group. The study: (1) investigated effects of prekindergarten on…

This document provides a detailed synopsis of the book "Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage" (L. B. Schorr). Specific kinds of intervention programs can alter the stunting conditions in which many poor children are raised. It is not necessary to change everything in order to make a difference, and policymakers do not need to wait…

This publication represents the first report tailored to a non-specialist audience from an extensive case study in the Philippines, one of five country studies selected as the first project of the Urban Child Program of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) International Child Development center. The Philippines study focuses explicitly on…

Hearings on the difficulties experienced by Hispanic (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American) students in entering postsecondary education and ways to assist this population are presented. According to testimony, several legislative programs designed to serve economically disadvantaged students have failed to reach Hispanic students,…

Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), California's welfare reform program, provides education, job services, and support services to welfare recipients to promote self-sufficiency and eliminate welfare dependency. In 1989, a survey was conducted of all California community colleges to gather information on GAIN participants, services, and…