This document reports on the efforts of big cities to confront the new politics of child and family policies in the United States. A 35-member Roundtable was convened in 1995 to analyze the initial impacts of the new federal legislation and assess consequences for urban children. Part I contains some brief remarks about the plight of big cities…

In October 1996, the Hartford Public Schools (Connecticut) received a grant for a partnership in minority student achievement, but in 1998, the grant was not renewed. This is the final year-end report on the Hartford Comprehensive Partnerships for Mathematics and Science Achievement (CPMSA) covering the program's second year. Fourteen schools were…

Summarizes concerns commonly expressed by incoming LaGuardia Community College freshmen (e.g., worries about parenting; fear of random violence; financial worries; fear of educational failure; and anxiety about mastering English). Reviews an instructor's efforts to empower students and build self-concept. Advocates a systemwide effort to meet…

American industry must collaborate with schools to produce a highly educated, literate, technically proficient work force. Time Inc. has advocated for equal opportunity and improvements in inner city schools through such programs as "Time to Read," a nationwide literacy project involving Time Inc. employees in volunteer community…

Urban university leaders must reestablish public confidence through communication, clear mission and identity, deregulation of higher education, confrontation of fiscal realities and urban mission, and a recreated sense of community. Leadership types include several models and the complex challenges of urban universities demand effective…

Policy debates and discussions have focused on two main aspects of the education system of Northern Ireland: the role of religiously segregated schools in the conflict and the link between educational attainment and labor market opportunity. Possible solutions and the role of integrated schools are explored. (SLD)

The national issue of school choice and the reduction and prevention of violence among youth are two issues that are critical for African-American educators, parents, youth, and education supporters. In addressing these problems, African-American educators must become role models of empowerment and advocacy for youth. (SLD)

Provides a psychotheological interpretation of rap music by African-American male artists and of its audience, examining the music and its social context. Common themes include despair over acute psychosocial and physical needs, intensity and violence as a means of personal integration, ontological insecurity, and desire for transformation and…

Six articles provide an overview of the multiple approaches to evaluating the problems of homelessness and introduce the challenges of evaluating interventions for the homeless. The first part focuses on research about homelessness, and the second part describes major demonstration programs and their evaluations. (SLD)

Describes a Department of Human Services project to research and recommend appropriate strategies to address the needs of boarder babies, infants prenatally exposed to substance abuse, and children living in substance abusing environments in the District of Columbia. Training seminars and the five project objectives are reviewed. (SLD)

Traces history of urbanization and problems created by growth of cities. Describes process of homogenization achieved by land-use regulations, income and education differentiation, and racial/ethnic characteristics. Focuses on the sociopolitical-economic challenges of the 1990s. Includes format for three lessons with a case study project and…

Reviews community-based research on the effects of homelessness on children. Homeless children face threats to their future well-being resulting from health problems, hunger, poor nutrition, developmental delays, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and educational underachievement. Contributing factors may include inadequate shelter,…

Explores implications of defining the primary problems of African Americans as those faced by males, questioning whether this approach places African-American men and women in conflict. Considers how social problems are constructed. Image formation and manipulation of social issues may contribute to the perception of African-American women as…

Explores the childhood and adolescence of the Hispanic American poet Luis Rodriguez, who grew up in Los Angeles (California) and was involved in gangs with other children of Mexican immigrants. Rodriguez's autobiography is offered so that adolescents, including his own son, may learn from his experience. (SLD)

Replies to "Adolescent Mothers Drop Out" (Douglas K. Anderson, 1993). It is indeed true that women who begin childbearing as adolescents achieve less schooling than do women who postpone or forego childbearing, but debate about why continues. It is argued that the apparent impact of early childbearing on education may result from a common set of…