This issue brief explores emerging efforts to meet the needs of infants and toddlers in low-income families. It highlights general strategies that states and localities can use to promote the healthy development of infants and toddlers in the context of promoting parental economic self-sufficiency. These strategies are illustrated with examples of…

Acknowledging the changes that poor and homeless students have experienced, this curriculum guide uses change to focus on the challenges found in transitioning into a new environment. The premise underlying the curriculum is that the forces that shape human life are constantly changing, and in order to give meaning to these changes, students must…

A study assessed the formulas used to distribute funds to the states under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) 1998. It identified mismatches that might exist between the formulas and WIA's program goals and populations served and identified where the formulas are most vulnerable to wide fluctuations in funding levels from year to year. Issues…

A consortium involving the Grayson County (Virginia) school system, Wytheville Community College, and Radford University was developed to address the teacher shortage in rural, economically depressed Grayson County. Using existing courses, a curriculum was developed that allows a student at Grayson County high school to obtain as much as 32 hours…

California Tomorrow, a non-profit research organization that supports the development of a fair and inclusive multicultural society, conducted this study. The research sought to answer three questions: (1) What are the experiences of Latino, African American, Asian, Native American, white, and immigrant students in the community college system,…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) surveyed officials in nine federal agencies regarding the following aspects of the employment and training programs they administered: funding levels; types and numbers of participants; services provided; and outcome measures. The 9 agencies were administering 44 programs providing a range of employment and…

This volume of New Directions for Community Colleges features case studies of six prototypical urban community college systems and the challenges they face. The chapters provide guides for those interested in the unique mission of urban institutions: (1) "Urban America and the Community College Imperative: The Importance of Open Access and…

A study examined research conducted on the effectiveness of different welfare-to-work approaches. Five evaluations begun in the 1980s with five-year results indicated that programs focusing on rapid employment and job search activities combined with education and training activities more often increased employment and earnings and reduced welfare…

This paper examines the associations between food insecurity, participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and children's well-being. We address problems of selection by restricting our sample to children in families in which at least one child participates in the NSLP. Results suggest that food insecurity is associated with…

This report summarizes the 2005-2006 program evaluation results of AISD's federally-funded smaller learning communities grant program.

"Early outreach" is defined as a long-term, talent-development strategy to prepare a qualified pool of disadvantaged minority applicants for entry into health professions schools. Model programs at the University of Illinois -- Chicago are described. (Author/MLW)

Reviews evidence from preschool education programs to determine what impacts quality programs can have on poor children's intellectual and social competence. Reviews evidence from Head Start to determine whether preschool programs of national scope have produced the same effects as those produced by model programs. (Author/BJV)

Reviews research on the impact of paternal job and income loss on the child. Most effects are indirect and mediated through the changes that economic loss produces in the father's behavior and disposition. High maternal support and experiences that encourage maturity and autonomy are critical sources of psychological resilience in children who…

Describes a study that examined high-income and low-income middle schoolers' perceptions of teachers. Interviews indicated that social class was important in both groups' thinking. Low-income students were very attuned to teachers' attitudes toward them, and school was stressful for them as they were very much aware of their subordinate standing…

Considers three factors largely ignored in simple market models of educational choice. Religious faith and discipline play an integral part in both the choosing families and the subsequent school environments. Participating families remain in the middle and upper classes. Participating schools can, and do, refuse students. (MJP)