The overrepresentation of ethnic minority students, particularly African American males, in the exclusionary discipline consequences of suspension and expulsion has been consistently documented during the past three decades. Children of poverty and those with academic problems are also overrepresented in such discipline consequences. Sadly, a…

Words Work! and Community Action Head Start have been working together for seven years to provide training, consultation, mentoring, and resources to teachers in pilot classrooms as they learned to implement effective early literacy strategies. In its work with teachers, Words Work! developed a culture "where ongoing assessment, reflective…

Few researchers think in terms of their role in translating their findings into action in the field or in programs. The author recalls, when she was Director of Research and Evaluation for the Administration for Children Youth and Families, HHS, how much of the research was not being applied to what goes on or what was needed at the Head Start…

This article reviews the evolution of education policies in the East African region in a historical context. The focus is on the formulation of policies for access to primary and secondary education in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania since their independence in the 1960s. The three countries have common characteristics and historical backgrounds. For…

In Northern Ireland, young people exist in a health environment where the experience of social disadvantage is translated into serious risks to health and personal development. The years of political conflict have tended to obscure these health problems, and it is important that the difficulties faced by young people are examined and…

Over the past decade there had been increasing interest in the topic of deferred parenting. However, the effect on children of late timed parents has been a source of debate among researchers and practitioners. The present cross-cultural study explores the following questions: (1) is there and optimal age of parenting, and (2) are children of…

A social cognition approach is taken to study social class influences on schooling as reflected in the attitudes of 74 high school students. What happens in school is discussed from the perspectives of dominant and subordinate social classes. Narratives of the adolescents in this study confirm a number of propositions of critical theory pertaining…

This essay with photographs describes the experiences of two runaways, examining why they left home and how they found help. Although runaways have a reputation for being irresponsible, they usually have good reasons for leaving home. The nun who ran Noah's Ark, where both the runaways featured found shelter and help, estimated that only about two…

This paper explores how youth programs, particularly programs that try to prepare young people for the world of work and higher education, are organized and implemented in the field. It is argued that, in many cases, the needs of program practitioners are overlooked by the research community. The focus is on the field of "second-chance"…

In this applied research project, the tendency for Youth Workers to treat admissions as a sudden procedural event was problematic at a treatment program. Literature from (brief) constructivist therapies, youth care work, and interviews with administrators, youth workers, and youths at a treatment program were used to solve the problem. The Context…

The contributions in this volume grew out of a conference at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1989. They examine issues that promote a longer range perspective on preventing disabling conditions and intervening early in the lives of children with disabilities. The range of preventable disabling conditions, perinatal influences on…

This digest briefly reviews the current movement to downsize urban schools to help educators decide whether and why to pursue such a move, and to indicate which models appear most promising. Research evidence is strong that small schools benefit the entire school community. Small schools are particularly beneficial for disadvantaged youth, who…

Books in the Opposing Viewpoints series challenge readers to question their own opinions and assumptions. By reading carefully balanced views, readers confront new ideas on the topic of interest. Although some experts believe that the problem of teenage pregnancy has been overstated, other recent studies have led many people to believe that…

The personal effects of racial discrimination were studied through the responses of 50 adolescents enrolled in a precollege summer program to hypothetical scenarios. Half of the participants were female, 2 were European American, 8 Asian American, 21 African American, and 19 Latino. Expected response categories derived from the work of J. Feagin…

Chapter I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the largest federally-funded program designed to provide services to elementary and secondary students to meet the special needs of educationally deprived students who reside in areas with high concentrations of low-income families. The 1994-95 school year is the last year of…