The purpose of this paper is to examine how mathematically talented children in a disadvantaged rural community experience mathematics, both as a discipline and as a school subject. The aim is to find answers to questions such as: "What do these children think mathematics is?" "What value do they attach to the study of…

This document, which summarizes the study, "Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for Access and Achievement," and the guide, "Educating Homeless Children and Youth: A Resource Guide for Promising Practices," provides evidence that state education agencies and local educational agencies have made significant…

Children from poor families exhibit more conduct disorders, chronic illnesses, school problems, hyperactivity, and emotional disorders than children who are not poor. Minority children that are poor face the additional disadvantage of marginalization. Research indicates that support and strong personal skills are needed for such children to be…

Using data collected in the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), this report studies the characteristics of schools serving immigrant children at the time of NCLB's passage. As SASS lacks a measure of immigration status among school children, this analysis uses English language proficiency level (or LEP status) as a proxy for immigrant…

As Congress prepares to make important decisions about the future of Head Start, Program Information Report (PIR) data provide important contextual information about Early Head Start programs and the children and families they serve. In 2004, Early Head Start served a diverse group of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, most of whom were from…

MDRC's Opening Doors to Earning Credentials Project and its early reports found that community colleges are the local educational institutions with the greatest potential for helping low-wage workers earn skills and credentials that lead to educational and career advancement. Opening Doors also identified serious obstacles to realizing that…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reauthorized and significantly expanded the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Act and its accompanying fund increases offer numerous opportunities to improve teaching and achievement of young adolescents, targeting federal money more than ever to high poverty schools and districts and including…

This paper provides a basic understanding of the Pell Grant program and summarizes the evidence regarding its effectiveness. The Basic Educational Opportunities Program, known as the Pell Grant program, began in 1973 as a means of providing disadvantaged students access to a postsecondary education. The Pell Grant program has tried to keep up with…

Two decades ago, many of the strengths and advantages of small rural schools were understood. These include a greater sense of community, which enables closer relations between faculty and administration, between teachers and students, and among teachers; less violence; better school-community relationships; more parent participation; greater…

This study examined how five high-poverty Texas high schools, which had attained notable achievement levels on selected academic indicators, reached their present levels of performance. The schools shared several characteristics: most students were economically disadvantaged; the location was in a large urban district; there was no selective…

An Australian national task force examined a number of areas related to achieving educational equality for Australia's Indigenous peoples. Young Indigenous Australians are disproportionately represented among young people who do not successfully negotiate the transition from school to independence and employment. This paper focuses on issues of…

This anthology is intended to serve as an introduction to some of the big issues that shaped and continue to shape policy, practice, and debate over public schooling. Perspectives on these issues are presented in 32 chapters: (1) "The Educational Situation" (John Dewey); (2) "Progress or Regress?" (David Tyack and Larry Cuban);…

In the second year of a federally funded program encouraging disadvantaged youth to prepare for college, 1,955 parents and 1,520 students at 23 middle schools in southern West Virginia were surveyed concerning their perceptions of and aspirations for postsecondary education. Findings indicate that students and their parents had a generally…

Reflecting on her life as a teen growing up in the low-income neighborhoods of Washington, DC, Karen Pittman spells out why she is determined to have the Forum meet its goal of challenging national partners and state and local change makers to ensure that every young person is Ready by 2010. Pittman describes what she believes is the biggest…

Analyzing data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, this report examines how computer use produced generic benefits for all children and differential benefits for minority and poor children. Computer use at home was compared with computer use at school in relation to the academic performance of disadvantaged children and their peers. The…