This paper examines vintage (cohort), environmental, and structural problems associated with youth employment, and discusses strategies for improving job opportunities. Evaluates effects of the Elementary Secondary Education Act, Vocational Education Act, Youth Entitlement Demonstration, Supported Work Demonstration, and Job Corps. (JCD)

This article considers the proposed federal Youth Education and Employment Initiative which targets federal funds to those high schools with the lowest achievement and highest poverty levels, to help build work experience programs and to upgrade student skills. New Jersey Education Association recommendations on secondary curriculum improvement…

The distribution and magnitude of youth employment problems differ significantly from those of older workers. Three attempted solutions are examined: youth employment and training programs (CETA, YEDPA, etc.), student assistance for financing higher education, and voluntary service programs supported by ACTION. Data on youth employment and…

The authors review compensatory education programs, summarize studies of their effectiveness, and conclude that such programs can be effective--although they must be accompanied by increased opportunity in the society as a whole. (JM)

Describes the success of Capital Partners for Education (CPE), a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk students by providing them with scholarships and mentors, who are mostly urban professionals. CPE targets average students who are failing or likely to drop out. Discusses CPE's activities and its expansion to provide year-round support. (AJL)

Explores the challenges of using affirmative action programs when competing groups of underrepresented people vie for limited school resources. The case study of a San Francisco (California) high school illustrates the difficulties of balancing competing goals when affirming diversity and addressing patterns of discrimination conflict with equal…

Argues that community services provide individuals with the opportunity to care for others as well as themselves in that they help create a better world. Describes four service programs at Piedmont Virginia Community College: a program teaching philosophy in the third grade, a summer program for inner-city children, Ethics-Across-the-Curriculum,…

This article examines research evidence on the effects of preschool reading practices on young children, emphasizing the role of school-based programs for young disadvantaged children. The analysis notes positive effects from story reading programs and presents practical guidelines related to group size, rereadings, vocabulary instruction, and…

A case study of an English language learner in a rural Oregon middle school found that his performance in social studies dramatically improved under concept-based instruction. Methods such as concept-based instruction, which align curriculum and instruction with assessment, may offer solutions for schools serving culturally and linguistically…

The "6+1" model of writing assessment, which identifies six traits of good writing, is applicable to any language. In an Anchorage (Alaska) elementary school with a high proportion of English language learners, homeless children, and other disadvantaged youth, the model helps students write about their own ideas and experiences, thereby…

Discusses how federal policies in educational practice widen the equity gap between privileged and underprivileged students and schools. Using a case study of a North Carolina elementary school, the paper argues that high stakes testing policies of excellence actually worsen conditions of teaching and learning and push imperative principles of…

Describes the collaborative instruction provided by a special education reading teacher and a speech-language pathologist to disadvantaged high school special education students, most with learning disabilities or mild-to-moderate mental retardation. It discusses teaching issues such as motivation, phonology, language use patterns, and…

A Scottish national study examined relationships between pupil background characteristics and performance in reading and mathematics at 80 primary and secondary schools. Age within the grade level, gender, and socioeconomic disadvantage had varying effects on achievement in different grades. School-level variations were more marked for primary…

Studied American College Test (ACT) scores, sex, race, financial aid, and attrition/persistence as predictors of grades for college freshmen (N=208). Found for grade average predictions with attrition/persistence excluded, ACT or race was the first variable. Other stepwise predictors were generally not viable. (Author/ABL)

Illustrates, through text and graphs, that many striking variations are submerged beneath overall figures of poverty rates. The substantial differences in poverty rate according to race and ethnicity are, in large part, the consequences of major differences in family types and work situations. (SLD)