Primary school teachers can encourage and support the desire to read in less-advantaged children by reading to them and talking with them on a regular basis, having them read simple declaratory sentences, playing word games with them, and allowing the children to experience as many types of reading and writing activities as possible. (MDM)

Evaluated the development of 44 children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Adoptive parents described their children twice, using the Revised Denver Prescreening Developmental questionnaire when they first met the children, and again at approximately 11 months postadoption. Showed that progress was equal across areas, and that, on average,…

This study of implementation of a classwide peer tutoring program for 108 disadvantaged students found that specific variations in program implementation and teachers' applications of the program produced differential levels of student outcome. Implementation factors considered included, among others, opportunities to receive program sessions and…

After a review of the current problems of the racially oriented educational system of South Africa, this article examines alternative teaching strategies to ease the transition from school to university and concludes that modification of teaching for first-year university students is the most feasible approach. Examples of successful strategies…

A late 1960s graduate of racially segregated school in Mississippi evaluates her high school's performance against Ron Edmonds's five school effectiveness correlates (strong instructional leadership; clear instructional mission; orderly, safe climate; high expectations; close monitoring with standardized tests). School passed only one; all…

Describes the establishment, achievements, and continued success of the Big Shoulders Fund, through which Chicago's business community assists local Catholic innercity schools. Explains how the program provides operating grants, building improvements, scholarships, teacher training programs, mobile classrooms, and endowment funds for schools…

Considers reasons for low primary school attendance rates for children in the Philippines, including low school readiness and high costs. Describes the establishment of eight kindergartens in the Philippines through the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP) and provides case studies of three children attending OMEP kindergartens.…

Student aid can help increase the number of well-educated minority and disadvantaged students. The Justice Department has labeled it a price discount. The difference between a discount and an educational investment derives from whether providing aid increases or decreases net resources available to the college to spend on other purposes. (MSE)

Standardized examinations do not measure teacher competence because good teaching requires skills which cannot be measured accurately by standardized tests. Overreliance on standardized testing contributes to racial discrimination and exclusion of ethnic minorities from educational and professional opportunities. (IAH)

Examines six mentoring programs conducted by fraternities and other organizations to ascertain the perceptions of participants of the effectiveness of their involvement. Results with 51 mentors and 54 African-American male adolescents support the positive impact of mentoring programs. Mentoring can be an important component of multifaceted…

Describes the implementation of "Success for All," a reading program developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in an elementary school in an economically disadvantaged area of New York City. "Success for All" works successfully in this school, as in many others, because each of its elements is a proven, effective,…

Reports on the first year of a four-year study of disadvantaged children in nongraded primary programs, focusing on how six teachers in four schools implemented the nongraded program with African-American and White urban and rural children. Early results show changes teachers are making to work with mixed-age students in a culturally appropriate…

Explores sources of drugs and weapons for a group of pre-adolescents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Chicago using a focus group and a self-administered survey. At least one-third of the sample of fifth-grade students responded that it was easy for people their age to obtain each of the products. Neighborhood sources were the most likely…

Profiles school crime and student safety in the United States as the first in a series of annual reports produced jointly by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics. Includes data on student and teacher victimization, school crime and violence, violent deaths at school, and school environment. (Author)

Notes that Brazilian street children are socially branded as criminals, limiting their opportunities to improve themselves and believe they can change their lives for the better. Draws on interviews with street children to provide a true picture of daily struggles and demonstrates ability and creativity in many situations. (LBT)