An evaluation of Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL) was undertaken in New South Wales, Australia, using a sample of 366 disadvantaged kindergarten students. Participants outperformed controls on pseudo-word decoding and reading connected text at the end of kindergarten, and on invented spelling and reading measures midway through first…

Studied a pilot program to give preservice teachers a broader look at the lives of children by placing the teachers with community service agencies to work with staff serving low-income parents and children from diverse backgrounds. Preliminary evaluation indicates that most preservice teachers expanded their views about families served by social…

Review of records of families with preschool children referred to an outpatient treatment center for emotionally and behaviorally troubled preschoolers found a greater degree of parenting stress was significantly associated with poorer attendance at group therapy for children, whereas greater socioeconomic disadvantage was significantly associated…

This study compared the effect of two language sampling elicitation contexts, free play and picture descriptions, on variability in the use of African American English (AAE) with 65 normally developing African American children (ages 4 to 6) from lower socioeconomic status homes. Picture descriptions elicited more AAE usage overall, a larger set…

Addresses the crucial role of families in helping students learn, arguing that the success of schooling depends on the contributions of the home and school/home collaborations. Ways to better understand the everyday lives of children living in poverty are illustrated to help schools increase learning opportunities for all children, even when…

Used data from the 1980 High School and Beyond study to examine the educational fortunes of a cohort 6 years after high school graduation. Data show that schools serving more poor students were less likely to "send" students to college and that high school grade point average and parents' education were significant at every stage in the…

In 1983, Maryland's highest court rejected a constitutional challenge to the state's education finance system. In 1994, the American Civil Liberties Union and Baltimore City instituted new adequacy suits against the state. An eve-of-trial settlement provided a moderate school funding increase in return for changes in school governance structure.…

A camp serving the New York City area provides year-round support and educationally based experiences for economically disadvantaged children. Evaluations indicate that campers and parents were aware of the psychological, social, and physical benefits of camping; parents and the community benefitted from children's camping experience; and setting…

Reports empirical evidence on the relationship between parental qualities and adolescent psychological well-being, school adjustment, and problem behavior among 229 economically disadvantaged Chinese adolescents. Results showed that perceptions of parental qualities were related to better adolescent psychological well-being and improved behavior.…

Introduces the new journal, "Educators for Urban Minorities," and explains the crisis looming in urban education as teacher shortages increase, and academic and professional standards for teachers are raised. Describes efforts made by Long Island University to help their linguistically and culturally diverse student body meet the…

Reviews what is known about the overall effectiveness of Title I programs and discusses how Title I can become a more effective intervention. Makes three policy recommendations for fostering better research and better programs, centering on accountability, continued research and development, and randomized experimental studies of promising…

Discusses the failure of Australian Commonwealth and State governments to institute the Convention on the Rights of the Child provisions for preschool children with disabilities from non-English speaking backgrounds. Identifies specific needs of these children and presents strategies to improve outcomes for them. (JPB)

This article deals with informal networks and their role in young people's strategies of coping with the uncertainties of transitions to work. The underlying hypothesis is that informal networks have a high potential in this regard that, however, is strongly differentiated according to class and education. Drawing on West German data from the…

The critical incident that drove this article involved a single mother who was on probation for drug offenses. Her two daughters were sent home from their Title I urban elementary school on a frequent basis because of head lice. This situation prompted several questions: Can we and should we be able to legislate and enforce cleanliness? Is…

The California State University, Long Beach has received a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services in 1995 to carry out a project called "A Head Start on Science." The project's goals were inspired from a book written by world-renowned biologist Rachel Carson entitled "The Sense of Wonder." Carson promoted…