This volume is introduced by Sid Simon's discussion of the "Wad-Ja-Get?" syndrome--society's obsession with grades--and where it has led. Simon also explains each author's strong identification with the grading issue, and presents seven major questions that the authors, in the book, attempt to answer. His overview provides a perspective for…

This chapter moves toward defining high-risk youth as young persons with low probabilities of gaining an education, getting a job, parenting effectively, or being able to participate in the political process. Five snapshots are presented of the latest information on the prevalence of the five categorical behaviors of interest: (1) substance abuse,…

One of the primary essentials to an intelligent appraisement of the success of higher education is an analysis of college student mortality. By student mortality is meant the failure of students to remain in college until graduation. Moreover, the first step in determining the advisability of reforms in higher education is the discovery,…

This PowerPoint report summarizes AISD student demographic and performance results at middle schools as of the end of the 2007-2008 school year.

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) factors that interact to affect child development; (2) developmental milestones for infants and young children; (3) parenting processes appropriate to the childhood years; (4)…

A study investigated variables related to the success or failure of New Mexico Jicarilla Apaches in their pursuit of post-secondary education, including adequacy of high school experiences as preparation for post-secondary education. Subjects (54 males, 67 females) responded to a questionnaire using items from two instruments previously developed…

Designed to assist parents, classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special educators, this book describes effective reading programs that promote reading success and achievement for children at all reading levels. The 10 chapters of the book are as follows: (1) "Preventing Reading Failure and Increasing Reading Achievement through Learning…

Data in this document provide information about American children from the beginning of their lives until their fourth birthdays. Compiled largely from federal government sources, the statistics document the birth of infants, the circumstances of their families, the risks to life and health they face in the first years of their lives, the family…

A three-year pilot study was conducted to determine the noneconomic benefits of the Job Corps on the impact areas of jobs, society, and health. Representing seven Job Corps centers, a sample of 489 youth between the ages of 16 and 22 participated, of whom 85 percent were black and 87 percent were urban. In order to draw comparisons, the…

This study investigates the structural and functional differences between the non-standard Negro English of northern ghetto areas (NNE) and standard English (SE). The major field work was done in Central Harlem with (1) a geographically random sample of 50 pre-adolescent speakers in Vacation Day Camps, (2) six pre-adolescent and adolescent peer…

Compares first grade dropout and repetition rates between regions and within two cities, Belem and Porto Alegre, Brazil. Focuses on teacher selection, qualifications, and attitudes through classroom observation, 72 interviews, and 155 questionnaires. Shows first grade teachers expect low-income students to fail and encourage failure through…

Northern youth increasingly find themselves in a state of crisis--separated from family and community for the purposes of further education, exposed to the temptations of alcohol and drug abuse and facing the prospect of underemployment, they often come into contact with the justice system at an early age. Fascinated by and indoctrinated with the…

The causes of reading failure are numerous and complex. If instruction provided by the school is ineffective or insufficient, even some otherwise capable learners will have difficulty learning to read. Improving literacy instruction through professional development is an ongoing process involving all of the members of a schoolwide literacy team in…

An experimental and demonstration project was conducted over a five-year period in California to test the concept of lay-off time training to enable workers to qualify for promotion and increase their earnings. The canning industry was found to be a suitable area for this type of training since it had annual lay-offs followed by assured recalls to…

This collection of papers examines historical approaches and current research and practice related to the education of adolescents placed at risk of school failure as a result of social and economic conditions. After "Preface: Research, Policy and Practice in the Education of Poor and Minority Adolescents" (Mavis G. Sanders), there are…