Plans to improve literacy instruction (N = 1,504) developed by teachers and early literacy experts in coaching sessions (N = 280) conducted in 31 Head Start classrooms were examined to describe a general trajectory of coaching with regard to content coverage, pedagogical emphasis (instructional material, teaching behavior), and progression (new,…

Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often forgotten, sub-population of the poor is homeless youth, for whom lack of a stable or adequate residence creates a unique set of educational barriers. The Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA) spent 18 months documenting the experiences of…

Past estimates of the effect of family income on child development have often been plagued by endogeneity and measurement error. In this paper, we use two simulated instrumental variables strategies to estimate the causal effect of income on children's math and reading achievement. Our identification derives from the large, non-linear changes in…

This paper discusses (a) the role of cognitive and noncognitive ability in shaping adult outcomes, (b) the early emergence of differentials in abilities between children of advantaged families and children of disadvantaged families, (c) the role of families in creating these abilities, (d) adverse trends in American families, and (e) the…

This review examined a study designed to evaluate whether playing number board games improved numeracy skills of low-income preschoolers. The study included 136 pre-school children from 10 urban Head Start centers: 72 children were randomly selected to play a number board game with a trained experimenter; the remaining 64 children played a…

This article looks at STTEP, an outreach project currently housed at the University of Pretoria, which concentrates on the teaching of western orchestral instruments, plus background areas such as music theory, to disadvantaged children and youth from a variety of townships around Pretoria, South Africa. STTEP's direction can well be described as…

This study examined the main and interactive effects of cumulative risk and child temperament on teacher ratings of social competence and observer ratings of peer play in a sample of Head Start preschoolers. A cumulative risk index (CRI) was computed by summing the total number of risk factors for each family. There was a difference in the…

This article profiles Carole Colburn, a technology literacy teacher whose mission at Highlander Way Middle School in Howell, Michigan, is to help her students to learn--and to be empowered to help others--by working on projects that immerse them in their community. Technology is simply a conduit to make that happen. One such undertaking is…

This paper presents a case study of one local Sure Start programme's significant success in engaging large numbers of fathers with its services. The paper details both the levels of male involvement in the programme over time and the strategies found to be effective in involving men. Numbers of fathers using programme services rose to over 100 in…

Low-income communities face a host of problems that threaten the health and well-being of their children and families, who generally experience more than one problem simultaneously (Brown, Amwake, Speth, & Scott-Little, 2002). Regrettably, the delivery of services to low-income families is typically fragmented and scattered. Recent policy…

Using six years of data chronicling the experiences of 50 academically resilient college students, this article focuses on the seldom-researched area of the psychology of academic resilience. Ubiquitous stressors such as subpar public schooling and the lack of social and cultural capital; psychosocial issues that arise during the resilience…

Preliminary research indicates that summer enrichment programs may have a positive impact on overall student development K-12, including academic motivation and engagement. The majority of this research has focused upon gifted students, although there is a burgeoning body of research detailing the impact of summer programs on at-risk or…

Hamilton County, Tennessee, engaged in a multi-year effort to improve teaching in a group of eight central city elementary schools. This reform, known as the Benwood Initiative, was funded with $5 million from the Chattanooga-based Benwood Foundation. Student achievement improved dramatically as a result of this initiative. The Benwood successes…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss, utilising Miller's theoretical framework for social justice, findings of a research study examining the dramatic musical and educational results of an alternative music education programme in Toronto, Canada. What is particularly striking about the findings are the ways in which the participants (youth…

In this article, the author outlines briefly what he calls the three C's--a set of tools that can be used to improve urban science education. The author then describes ways that these tools can support students who have traditionally been marginalized. These three aligned and closely connected tools provide practical ways to engage students in…