In this report, the Rural Sociological Society Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty presents 11 Pathways from Poverty (PfP) state-team efforts and accomplishments. Education and training are themes that appear here and there throughout the strategies described. Many PfP state teams have formed alliances with state rural development councils that…

In response to the increasing numbers of homeless families, Homes for the Homeless surveyed families in emergency shelters in Newark (New Jersey) to gain some insights into the characteristics and circumstances of urban homeless families. Newark was chosen because it is a large urban center with a high concentration of welfare recipients that is…

The Talent Development Middle School model is a comprehensive school-change design aimed at raising the academic proficiency of all children in schools where large proportions of children are at risk of failure. Thirty-one teachers in two Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) public middle schools where the model has been piloted evaluated the…

Descriptive information is provided about students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) (Texas) with limited English proficiency (LEP) and the educational programs designed to serve those students. In Fall 1996 the HISD identified 58,425 LEP students, of whom 94.9% reported Hispanic ethnicity. The remaining students reported over 60…

A remediation approach developed by the Vilonia public schools (Arkansas) to remediate content/skill deficiencies in middle level students resulted from three conditions: state laws and regulations regarding minimum competency testing; more awareness of problems with at-risk students; and recognition of the need to reach students academically…

This report explores the risks that threaten to trap children in Oakland (California) in a cycle of persistent poverty. It examines the factors that may lead to lives of continued poverty: being a member of a poor family and having a dangerously low weight at birth, not having access to quality education and training, and spending the formative…

In the course of a national survey of schools funded under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act, other studies and data were reviewed to determine what was already known about compensatory education. This literature review covers several types of studies on the nature of Title I/Chapter 1 instructional services, staff, and…

This report provides information on 25 national educational research and development centers. The description of each center contains the name and address of the grantee, the director(s), affiliated organizations, a detailed abstract of its mission and activities, and a list of key personnel. The following centers are included: (1) National…

The New York State Comptroller's Office (CO) conducted an examination of state operating aid and contract course aid to Erie Community College (ECC) for fiscal years 1989-90 and 1990-91. The CO determined that ECC was liable to the state of New York for $6,312 of operating aid and $183,275 of contract course aid claimed and received in excess of…

The Cooperative Elementary School (CES) model involves the use of cooperative learning across a variety of content areas and full-scale mainstreaming of academically handicapped students. Teachers use peer coaching and plan in a cooperative manner. The model emphasizes teacher involvement in site-based management and parent involvement in the…

This study examined how high schools made decisions about which courses to offer and which courses were appropriate for various students. During year 1, researchers visited three senior high schools in a major West Coast urban center to observe, study school documents, and talk with educators and students about curriculum offerings and student…

This report presents an evaluation of a state implemented prekindergarten program for disadvantaged 4-year-old children in Texas in light of the program's impact on the largest urban school districts. The purpose of the program was to break the cycle of school failure and underachievement of disadvantaged and limited English proficient children.…

This publication presents the findings of a California State Legislature task force on the changing needs of that state's families. An introduction summarizes the report's findings and lists five principles to guide the development of public policy. The next section, "Work and Family: The Contemporary Balancing Act," explores…

This booklet describes the Country Area Program (CAP), a commonwealth-funded program targeted at alleviating educational isolation among government and nongovernment rural schools in New South Wales, Australia. This booklet is intended to help parents better understand the setting in which the CAP operates. The aims of the program include…

A particularly difficult problem for teacher educators is preparing teachers who both understand and are able to work with students who are educationally disadvantaged, and/or are at-risk academically. Most preservice teachers have little or no contact with these students and therefore never learn how to help them overcome academic deficiencies.…