Creating safe and productive environments with a diverse student population requires more than the strategies recommended in the original classroom-management literature. Drawing from the literature on culturally responsive classroom management, psychologically supportive classroom environments, and building resilience, the authors describe the…

Background: Early intervention programmes can minimize the negative impacts of poverty on children's development and learning. The success of these programmes relies on considering several interrelated components, including, but not limited to, working with parents as partners, using a holistic approach in educating children and supporting…

More than 10 million children from birth through age six in the US live in low-income families. Although large investments in early childhood intervention programs are evident, is the field fully exploiting its potential to address the diverse needs of children and families? One means of addressing this question is to focus on the efficacy of…

This report examines trends in student achievement for public school students using both state assessment data and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Recent trends on state assessments from 2004-05 through 2006-07 are examined in 30 states that had consistent assessments in place over this period and longer-term trends on the…

The Program for Disadvantaged Youth, funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, understood that the ultimate impact of the program on students would depend on the capacity of principals to take on new leadership roles and responsibilities. This report analyzes principals' perceptions of the variety of professional development opportunities in…

Over the past 2 decades, a considerable and consistent body of evaluation evidence has accumulated indicating that the public policies and programs created during that period for disadvantaged youth have not resulted in significant, long-term changes in the lives of those youth. Data say that an increasing number and percent of youth are…

This paper presents a summary of data from one program, Success for All, that is in the process of making the transition from local pilot to national model. Earlier evaluations of Success for All in its original home, Baltimore (Maryland), have shown that it can be highly successful in increasing reading achievement among very disadvantaged…

An exploratory study was conducted to examine the ways in which existing programs or service delivery systems have adapted to meet the needs of homeless families with children. Key issues and model and innovative approaches were identified prior to study site visits in five cities: (1) Atlanta (Georgia); (2) Baltimore (Maryland); (3) Boston…

The Lilly Endowment's Research Grants Program on Youth and Caring explored the concept of caring, with the intention of effecting changes in settings and practices. This report is meant to give a brief account of the genesis and development of the Program, summarize the issues raised and findings gleaned from the research and investigation, and…

How to build and support the Empowering School is explained. The Empowering School is one in which caring adults empower students to learn to hold meaningful jobs, to enjoy close relationships with caring adults, and to learn to communicate in positive ways. The Empowering School is also a center for social service. Part 1 of this book describes…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program, in its fourth year of operation, provides a literacy environment based on the Family Intergenerational-Interaction Literacy Model (FILM) in the southwest area of Oklahoma City. The FILM model is designed to provide a family literacy education program for parents, extended family, and their preschool children…

Previous explanations of teen pregnancy have often included uncritical use of the notion of adolescents "at risk." More recently, however, attention has shifted to structurally determined contextual factors to explain teen pregnancy. Such factors include economic and educational opportunities and costs, as well as chances for valued…

Research shows that probable causes for disruptive classroom behavior are broken social bonds, violent environment, stress and conflict, and inadequate curriculum coupled with ineffective teaching methods. This report discusses a program to decrease negative peer interaction in order to improve academic achievement and interpersonal relationships.…

Racism, discrimination, and prejudice are typically viewed from the perspective of the disadvantaged ethnic minority, but another approach is to address the advantages of whites. There is one culture that is usually invisible to whites, and that is "whiteness." To grow up white is to be the focal point from which others differ. Whites…

The America Reads challenge makes a national commitment to the goal that every child will read independently and well by the end of the third grade. The primary means of achieving this goal is to place one million volunteers in schools to tutor children in reading. However, little is known about the effectiveness of using volunteer tutors in the…