This analysis reviews the data on two types of extended school programs--those that extend the number of hours per day students spend in school, and those that extend the school year. Proponents of extending the school day or the school year frequently cite examples from outside the United States, where the average school year is often longer, and…

This report describes a school district that has managed to use state mandated standards, accountability, and interventions to nearly eliminate the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students and to do so without sacrificing students on the altar of test scores. Frenship Independent School District, Texas, serves approximately…

A new approach has been proposed to increase the success of Chicana/o students in college. Rather than studying only students who leave college without completing their degrees, the new approach focuses on those students who succeed in college by completing their programs of study. The campus experience for students is conceived as a "black…

This report, based on official Chinese publications and interviews, examines the barriers official policies present to the realization of the right to education for migrant children in China, at a time when Beijing and other cities are employing large numbers of migrants in urban construction projects in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games. The…

Since 1980, the gap in college participation rates between low-income and high-income students and between minorities and whites has widened substantially, creating new inequality in college access. During this period, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted numerous studies of the impact of academic participation on access…

North Carolina has become a leader in the national movement toward creating new, smaller high schools that can prepare students for the 21st century demands of higher education and the workforce. Governor Easley has established 13 (with 21 additional schools scheduled to open this Fall) Learn and Earn schools to provide students with at least…

Although small, carefully managed voucher programs might provide a helpful safety valve for some disadvantaged children, policy makers should be under no illusion that such programs will address the fundamental challenge of providing an adequate education to the large numbers of such students in many urban centers. Contrary to the claims of many…

This qualitative work analyzes selected major literature on self-esteem from the standpoint of urban youth education. It defines and describes elements of self-esteem, and links self-esteem to self-worth, learners' social environmental cues, teacher attitudes, and other variables. At-risk youth carry the additional burden of internalizing…

The effectiveness of an interdisciplinary approach was evaluated in a suburban high school social studies class that integrated the county's prescribed social studies and English curricula for honors and advanced placement. Focal points for the two teachers were cohesiveness, cooperation, conducive environment, and concept improvement. The class…

The 16 essays in this collection address how to lessen the effects of racism through classroom education by emphasizing the oneness of humanity and the relatedness of all human beings. These selections offer advice about healing racism from the early grades through secondary education. The essays are: (1) "Racism as a Disease" (John Woodall); (2)…

Constructivist approaches to mathematics instruction based on the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) have been widely advocated and are expanding in use. However, many educators express a need for constructivist approaches that provide specific student materials, assessments, teachers' manuals, professional…

"The Autobiography of Malcolm X" continues to sell and to be read by Americans of all ethnic backgrounds, but for African American youth it has special meaning and can be seen as providing a powerful argument in favor of becoming literate. The selections in this collection explore teaching about Malcolm X and give educators the tools…

In March 1995 the Ohio General Assembly enacted a Pilot Project Scholarship Program intended to provide a limited number of vouchers to allow Cleveland public school students to attend alternative schools, i.e. private schools, including those operated by religious organizations, within the Cleveland city limits and public schools in surrounding…

This study investigates the settlement of Cambodian adolescents in New South Wales (Australia). It looks at their participation in education and employment, the effects the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia had on those who lived through it, and the identity problems that usually occur in young people as a result of migration. According to the 1986…

The dropout rate is one of the most critical issues that Canadian educators face. Based on a 3-year study in the greater Toronto area, this book established a new frame of reference for understanding the dropout dilemma. This book suggests that race, class, gender, and other forms of social difference can affect how education is delivered. For…