Use of computers for instruction in public schools in New York City is compared with that in public schools in suburban Westchester County. Survey responses from 90 city and 46 suburban schools emphasize hardware availability, the nature of instructional software, and perceived problems/progress in integrating computers into the curriculum. (SLD)

If high- and middle-income parents make disproportionate use of school choice through residential and private school decisions, lower-income parents are more strongly represented in public school choices, many related to desegregation options. Magnet schools and voucher systems benefit those who hear about them. Universal controlled choice has had…

A phenomenological study of a 26-member involved-parent culture unearthed a conception: involved parents participate in their own and other children's lives both inside and outside schools. The portrait of an involved parent is more multicultural (and multifaceted) than commonly portrayed. Educators should welcome minority parents. (Contains 34…

Examined the quality of care provided to children from low-income families, using data from a nationally representative survey of child care centers and a five-site observational study of centers. Found that the quality of care in centers serving predominantly low-income families was better than centers serving middle-income families. (MDM)

Successful Ventura County schools know the best recipe for high achievement: fully credentialed, highly qualified, and motivated teachers; highly involved and well-educated parents; and adequate funding for smaller classes, professional development, and regular and alternative programs and facilities, topped off with excellent leadership. (MLH)

Examined personal storytelling of European-American preschoolers from working- or middle-class families as a medium through which they construct autonomous selves. Found that children in both communities had extensive rights to speak of past experiences and limited rights to author experiences. Middle-class communities viewed expressing one's view…

An examination of the literature on the characteristics of at-risk students largely cites demographics, socio-economic factors and minority status as identifying factors (DeRidder, 1988; Green and Scott, 1995; Peng, Lee, and Walberg, 1992; Rodriguez, 1997). According to the National Center for Education Statistics (1994), minority students of low…

Class differences and class warfare have existed since the beginning of western civilization, but the gap in income and wealth between the rich (top 10 percent) and the rest has increased steadily in the last twenty-five years. The U.S. is heading for a financial oligarchy much worse than the aristocratic old world that our Founding Fathers feared…

Background: Sport Education (SE) and Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) are two curriculum models that were developed to help students participate in fair and equitable ways and challenge their thinking beyond the replication of techniques and skills. Given that the general aim of both models is to employ more democratic pedagogies and…

This paper explores the relationship between parents and schools. Over the last 30 years the importance attached to parents' views on education has increased significantly throughout the Western world. Policy-makers encourage parental participation and involvement through the creation of councils in which parents have a say. In Flanders in Belgium…

A specific dramatic episode in history that allows students to delve into the deeper meanings of selected landmark events and explore a wider context of historical narrative is represented within this supplementary teaching unit. This approach helps students materialize history as an ongoing, open-ended process that is based upon decisions made in…

Information on federal student aid recipients by income, undergraduate and graduate level, and financial dependency status is presented for Pell Grants, campus-based programs, and Guaranteed Student Loans (GSL). Income data are reported for all aid recipients and for financially dependent and independent students for 1983-1984 and for 1976-1977,…

This article provides an overview of America's urban population based on the 2000 Census and the implications of increasing cultural diversity for urban public schools. It addresses three basic questions: 1. What does America's population look like at the beginning of the 21st century? 2. What challenges do children and their families face in this…

Richard Rodriguez's "Hunger of Memory," which describes his journey from a bilingual, socially disadvantaged child, the son of Mexican immigrant working class parents, to Doctor of English literature, university professor and author, is examined to provide a deeper understanding of what makes the assimilation process happen, what it…

Twenty dyads--ten middle-class mothers and ten lower-class mothers and their two-year-old children--were videotaped in a play situation. Variables in speech and utterance production were examined for change across condition (awareness or ignorance of being observed) and across socioeconomic class within condition. The number of utterances was…