A significant portion of Even Start's efforts are directed toward helping families support their young children's education. The quality of the home environment contributes to children's success in school. To improve the quality of this environment, Even Start concentrates on five major aspects of family life which can affect children's school…

This monograph draws on case studies of school-community partnership projects in four rural southeastern school districts in order to elaborate a thorough description of school contextual factors in the rural Southeast. In 1986, Appalachia Educational Labaoratory (AEL), one of nine federally funded research and development laboratories, received…

In view of financial constraints, large numbers of students to be educated, and rapid changes in information and communication and information technology, open learning (OL) and distance education (DE) systems are being established at an unprecedented rate in almost all developing countries of the Asian and Pacific region. Modern communications,…

In Latin America and the Caribbean, poverty is not merely a problem of marginalized communities. It is the situation in which 240 million people--50 percent of the population--are living. This report describes research undertaken by the Quality of Life Project, which aims to improve the situation of children in these disadvantaged communities. The…

This guide provides an overview and a curriculum for the Education for Employment (EFE) program, which prepares students in targeted populations for independent living and productive careers. The courses encourage students to engage in activities that allow them to blend their academic and vocational studies and employment experiences to solve…

Progress in civil rights for black Americans does not appear to have been matched, at least in recent years, by equal progress in social harmony. It is argued that a considerable part of present racial difficulties are the result of commonly expressed understandings that are deeply flawed and that these flaws can be corrected only if social…

This report presents a statistical look at the well-being of children in the state of Illinois, quantifying the problems confronting them and outlining steps that policymakers and service providers can take to improve the situation. The first part of the report summarizes the state's situation in the areas of education, health, special needs, and…

Established in 1989, the Birmingham (Alabama) Public Schools' Infant Care Training Project is an essential component of the Ensley Young Mothers' program, an alternative program for pregnant teenagers. Approximately 250 pregnant students aged 12 to 18 enroll voluntarily in the program each school year. Approximately 90 percent are economically…

Major policy, management, and program issues face the Congress and new administration in the area of labor. Many of the nation's youth are leaving school poorly prepared for the new work world. The nation already has a large group of economically disadvantaged people who lack necessary skills. Annually, 900,000 or more workers are at least…

This brief reviews and analyzes issues surrounding public school financing, particularly for Latino communities and elementary school and secondary school education. A review of the current legal debate notes that there have been legal challenges to school financing since 1967, and that rulings have indicated that government has a responsibility…

This paper discusses the key role of information in helping minority group parents and students gain access to postsecondary education and offers a descriptive framework for understanding information needs and availability. The framework is a taxonomy of the kinds and types of information needed by students and parents in order for the student to…

Discussions about rural children at risk of school failure require careful consideration of the economic and cultural contexts in which disadvantaged rural children live. These contexts frequently differ from those found in metropolitan areas. A literature review discusses: (1) images and realities of rural America today; (2) poverty and…

This study described ways in which two groups of urban, low-socioeconomic children remained the same and differed after a transition year in skills-based curriculum and a continuing year in whole language curriculum. Both groups had experienced whole language instruction in the first two years in kindergarten and first grade. This investigation…

Based on current research, the study reports on how students spend out-of-school time, addresses issues related to the integration of services and parent and family involvement, and suggests ways in which the Chapter 1 program can play a more active role than in the past. Research has indicated that placing more emphasis on primary services for…

An exploration of sources of gang activity in an urban area used ethnographic research with researchers posing as mathematics tutors for 1 year in a school comprising seventh and eighth grades. The "tutors" attended six eighth grade mathematics classes and acted as assistants to the teacher. The classes of 25 to 30 students lasted 40 minutes and…