Literature relevant to the needs assessment of children 5 to 12 years of age is reviewed and variables demonstrated to be factors in healthy or deviant behavior are identified. Problems addressed in the review of literature range from school maladjustment through social deviancy to schizophrenia. Five categories of studies are considered: (1)…

The findings of nine studies comparing the symbolic play of middle-class and lower-class children are summarized and examined in detail. Related research problems are discussed and directions for future research are indicated. Examination of the studies indicated that few general conclusions can be drawn from them about the relative quality of…

The advocacy and establishment of legislation for minimum competency tests appears to be based upon the desire to hold educators responsible for their products, to measure the cost effectiveness of education, and to insure that all students obtain an adequate education in basic skills; but it is argued that using minimum competency standards has…

THE ASSUMPTIONS WHICH FORM THE BASIS OF GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY ARE EXAMINED AND THE ADAPTATIONS OF CLINICAL GROUPS IN ASSISTING SOCIALLY DEPRIVED YOUTH (SDY) TO LEAD SATISFYING AND CONSTRUCTIVE LIVES ARE CONSIDERED. THE ACCEPTED CLINICAL MODEL HOLDS THAT DISTORTIONS OF CHARACTER STRUCTURE CAUSED BY UNFAVORABLE DEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS CAN ONLY BE…

A LANGUAGE ARTS PROJECT WHICH SERVES 1378 DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN FROM GRADES ONE THROUGH SIX IN 23 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IS EVALUATED IN THIS REPORT. RELEVANT INFORMATION IS PRESENTED UNDER THE FOLLOWING RUBRICS--HISTORY OF THE PROJECT, OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT TEACHING, PERSONNEL INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER, CLASS ORGANIZATION, PROJECT TEACHER…

SEVERAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE CONCEPTUAL BEHAVIOR OF LOWER AND MIDDLE CLASS CHILDREN ARE DESCRIBED IN AN EFFORT TO CLARIFY AN APPARENT DISCREPANCY BETWEEN PREVIOUS LABORATORY FINDINGS AND OBSERVED CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE. IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT, INDUCTIVE CONCEPT LEARNING WAS INVESTIGATED AS A FUNCTION OF SOCIAL CLASS MEMBERSHIP AND PRIOR EXPERIENCE.…

A CASTE-CLASS ANALYSIS IS A USEFUL FRAMEWORK FROM WHICH TO STUDY THE CURRENT POSITION OF THE NEGRO. HIS SPATIAL ISOLATION HAS CREATED A RACE CONSCIOUSNESS AND A RACIAL SUBCULTURE WITH DISTINCTIVE FOLKWAYS (MUSIC, FOOD, AND CHURCHES). THE NEGRO LOWER CLASS IS STRATIFIED INTO AN "ORGANIZED" SECTOR WHOSE LIFE STYLE IS ORIENTED AROUND THE CHURCH AND…

MORE EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS, A NEW YORK CITY SPECIAL SCHOOL PROGRAM, IS CRITICALLY EVALUATED HERE. THE PROGRAM, INITIATED BY THE UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (UFT), AND DEVELOPED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, THE COUNCIL OF SUPERVISORY ASSOCIATIONS, AND THE UFT, EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF A GUIDANCE APPROACH IN TEACHING GHETTO CHILDREN. THE CLASSES IN…

Ninety children were administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) with the standardized administration, as well as an elicited word response task of the PPVT Stimulus Plates. The subjects were inner city black (BIC), inner city white (WIC), and middle class white (WMC) children. The data were analyzed to determine consistency of item…

IN A RESEARCH STUDY IN SMALL GROUP INQUIRY, AN ANALYSIS WAS MADE OF THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE BEHAVIOR AND LANGUAGE STYLE OF LOWER-CLASS NEGRO AND MIDDLE-CLASS WHITE YOUTHS. ELEVEN INNER-CITY NEGRO GROUPS AND SEVEN SUBURBAN WHITE GROUPS OF 15- TO 19-YEAR-OLD YOUTHS MET SEPARATELY ONCE A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS. IN ADDITION TO…

IN A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SELF-CONCEPT, SENSE-OF-COMPETENCE, READING ACHIEVEMENT, AND DEPENDENCE IN KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE CHILDREN, 110 MIDDLE CLASS, WHITE KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN FROM THE NEW YORK CITY AREA WERE TESTED AND RATED DURING THEIR KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE YEARS. THE TESTS AND RATING SCALES…

THIS EXTENSIVE STUDY INVESTIGATED THE SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS PROVIDED BY TWELVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND EIGHT HIGH SCHOOLS IN EIGHT NEW JERSEY COMMUNITIES TO ENCOURAGE PARENTS INVOLVEMENT IN, KNOWLEDGE ABOUT, AND SUPPORT OF THE SCHOOLS. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE ARRANGEMENTS ARE ASSESSED ACCORDING TO (1) THE EXPRESSED SATISFACTION OF 1,392 MOTHERS…

This conference paper identifies two factors in contemporary educational programs which may have a detrimental effect on disadvantaged youth. First, it is felt that from a historical as well as a contemporary perspective, it is clear that the public schools are designed to meet the needs of the middle class. Thus, even if the same educational…

The use of either tax credits or an expansion of existing financial aid programs to aid middle income students is examined in this paper. Section I describes various types of mechanisms for providing student financial assistance and explains the current legislative proposals in relation to proposals of an earlier time. An evaluation of key…

An investigation of changes in functioning of mothers and fathers following divorce is presented in this paper. Subjects were 24 white middle class boys and 24 girls and their divorced parents, from homes in which custody had been granted to the mother, and the same number of children and parents from intact homes. A multimethod approach,…