Surveyed partnerships between K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions using a 12-item questionnaire to determine (1) structural characteristics; (2) funding; (3) success in achieving goals; and (4) data collected to measure success. The partnerships see themselves as at least somewhat successful in improving high school preparation and college…

Presents statistics and research results in support of the view that the St. Louis (Missouri) public schools continue to be highly segregated, and that the district should not be granted the unitary status that would reduce state funding. The economic costs to disadvantaged children of segregated schools are noted. (SLD)

Reviews child poverty in the United States. Child poverty rates have been high since the 1970s, and it is expected that one-third of all children will be poor at some time. African American and Latino children and children in mother-only families are disproportionately poor. Both family structure and the labor market are implicated in child…

Documents the longitudinal achievement growth of Chapter I students based on nationally representative data from the Prospects Study, which focuses on two- and three-year patterns of Chapter I participation for as many as 40,000 students in three grade cohorts. Overall, significant positive results generally were restricted to the more advantaged…

Evaluated the "ThinkerTools Inquiry Curriculum," a computer-enhanced, middle school science curriculum, to determine the impact of including the Reflective Assessment Process. Found that students' performance improved significantly on both physics and inquiry assessments. Controlled comparison revealed that students' learning was greatly…

Explores the new mission outlined by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the efforts of the federal government to help the working poor. The review of welfare reform proposals suggests that real solutions will depend on comprehensive plans for a broader sense of well-being for all citizens. (SLD)

The achievement gap between fortunate and less fortunate young children was the leading motivation for expanding and changing the kindergarten curriculum in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. The more rigorous, new curriculum became accelerated and literacy-based, focusing on mathematics, reading, art, music, and physical education. (MLH)

Although most people believe that schools exist to help children learn and achieve, some wonder why children's instruction must be hurried and why kindergarten is becoming so academic. Full-day programs, which accommodate parents' work schedules, are now commonplace; they may benefit some disadvantaged kids more than their affluent counterparts.…

Group interviews with 26 special education teachers, 25 general education teachers, 8 Chapter 1 teachers, and 15 teachers of the gifted revealed that the majority of teachers had strong negative feelings about inclusion. Teachers identified factors affecting the success of inclusion, including class size, resources, extent to which all students…

Evaluation of the Early Screening Project in a Head Start classroom-wide mental health identification and intervention over a 12- week period found that eight children identified as being at high risk for emotional/behavioral disorders prior to intervention either significantly improved or maintained their pre-intervention functioning. No…

Through teacher and colleague interviews, presents experiences of first-year teacher in a poor, urban elementary school and his attempts to enact a social reconstructionist curriculum. Describes student resistance to the teacher's practices and his ability to help students adjust to a new way of learning. (LBT)

A study examined the impact of a gifted enrichment program on 80 Israeli students (grades 4-8) from disadvantaged neighborhoods. After program participation, girls' performance on an intelligence test was higher than boys'. While girls started out with slightly lower scores, they ended up with slightly higher scores than boys. (Contains…

This study examines the rate of internalizing and externalizing behavior and whether or not family factors influence internalizing and externalizing behavior differently depending on child gender. Sixty-three Head Start parent-child dyads participated in this study. Rates of externalizing behavior at home for males and females were consistent with…

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court, in a landmark decision known as Brown v. Board of Education, said, "Today education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments...it is the principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values and preparing him for later professional training and in helping him to…

Preschool is not a new idea, at least not for disadvantaged children. The Head Start program, which originated in 1965, sought to give poor preschool-aged children the skills they would need to succeed in school. Head Start currently reaches half of eligible 4-year-olds and a smaller number of younger children. What is new is the emergence of…