This study examines the extent to which children enjoy regular contact and financial support from their noncustodial parents. It also looks at the extent to which children who have a parent living elsewhere and their custodians are financially dependent on child support. Data are from the National Survey of America's Families. In this survey, data…

This paper examines the way in which some schools are redefining the community-school link and discusses research on schools offering services to the community. It describes how social services provided by schools affect education and the extent to which schools that take an ecological approach to schooling provide a sense of efficacy and…

This report describes achievement gaps found in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, compares the status of the WCPSS to achievement in the past, and compares WCPSS to other similar school systems and national data when available. On almost all academic measures, white females were the most successful students in the…

This guide is designed to help social workers, social activists, members of religious organizations, police officers, urban planners, and anyone interested in working with disadvantaged people. Case studies and examples from the experiences of real people are given to make the discussion practical. Each chapter contains a series of questions and…

This digest describes the essential components of college preparation programs for urban and minority youth. The digest suggests that such programs must attend to the cultural norms of the community and their own political contexts in order to increase students' access to, enrollment in, and graduation from college. College preparation programs…

This digest reviews approaches that have been proven effective in preparing urban minority youth for college. Precollege programs that offer comprehensive approaches and combine a variety of services have the largest impact on college access for minority youth in low-income neighborhoods. The most effective programs are of substantial duration and…

This study examined the relationship between students' socioeconomic characteristics and qualification for a merit scholarship in a new, state-run program. The Michigan merit award scholarship program provides scholarships of up to $2,500 for students who score at Level 1 or 2 of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program High School Tests.…

This collection of essays discusses excellence and achievement in urban schools. "Needed: Excellent Teachers for Urban Schools" (Diane Ravitch) suggests that the best thing to do to help urban students is to ensure that they have excellent teachers. "Beyond the Courage to Change Urban School Systems" (Rudolph F. Crew) discusses…

This study investigates the differences in the degree of low academic achievement of third and fourth graders living with single-parent families from 11 industrialized countries. The United States ranks first among the countries compared in terms of the achievement gap for children in single- and two-parent families. After controlling for…

This report is the second in a series of periodic updates on the achievement gap among various demographic groups in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). For this report, students academic success in WCPSS was studied, based on outcomes such as achievement test scores, dropout rates, and course enrollment. In some areas, the gaps in…

Between 1990-2000, there was a decrease in the number of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods, but the picture provided by the decrease in poverty levels alone is incomplete and potentially misleading. Using a more comprehensive measure of neighborhood quality, researchers found that the number of children living in severely distressed…

This study used Washington state school district identification numbers to follow the progress of 14,860 fourth graders (in 1998) and 12,827 seventh graders (in 1998) for 3 years. The inauguration of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) made it possible to track individual student academic performance and examine the consequences…

The Council of the Great City Schools, a national organization representing the needs of urban public schools, has studied school finance in four member districts, including New York. The Councils interest in current litigation over school financing began when Council data were used in evidence to support the defendants in the case brought by the…

This report recommends a new poverty indicator to use when distributing Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) to Ohio school districts. It also describes the implications of substituting the new indicator in the current formulas used to calculate DPIA funding. Ohio school districts receive DPIA, based on earlier aid programs, to provide all-day…

The Intervention/Prevention Program in the Wake County Public Schools (North Carolina) provides support to students who are experiencing academic, behavioral, family, and emotional difficulties that interfere with learning. The Student Support Team (SST) at each school provides this support. The SST is a collaborative, multidisciplinary team that…