This analysis focuses on school offerings and practices that limit or increase the course work taken by particular groups of students. The National Commission on Excellence in Education has recommended minimal requirements for high school graduation consisting of 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, science, and social studies, and one-half…

This analysis discusses 5 elementary schools in the District of Columbia that have demonstrated significant educational improvements in less than 6 months after the implementation of the Community for Learning (CFL), a collaborative project initiated between the Office of the Superintendent of D.C. Public Schools, the Laboratory for Student…

Despite advances in primary school enrollment and completion in recent years, school completion in rural areas of Guatemala is low. The problem is especially severe among indigenous female students, where only about one in eight completes primary school. In 1997, the Guatemalan government launched an ambitious program designed to assist poor…

Title III, the Strengthening Institutions Program, is one of the most important federal programs for rural community colleges. Created by the Higher Education Act of 1965, Title III provides institutional aid to qualified colleges and universities that serve large numbers of first-generation, low-income students and students from groups…

Brazil has one of the most inequitable income distributions in the world, and schools perpetuate the processes of social exclusion. This paper examines processes of social exclusion in the municipal elementary schools of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Interviews with municipal superintendents focused on the schools' welfare services,…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Extended-Service Schools (ESS) Initiative, which supported the creation of 60 after school programs in 20 low-income communities nationwide. Each community adapted one of four nationally recognized models that had been successfully developed and implemented in other cities. The models all promoted…

One of the great school funding myths of our time is the notion that money spent on improving public schools for poor and minority students is akin to throwing money into a bottomless pit. According to the politicians and policymakers who have pushed this view into the public debate on education reform, our schools have ample resources, and…

This discussion paper of the Youth Transition Funders Group synthesizes "the insights, inspirations and future directions" created over a five-year period "to frame policies and programs directed at our most vulnerable youth." (Contains 7 footnotes and 2 figures.)

NASA Explorer Schools provides unique opportunities for students and teachers by offering access to technology and resources that are seemingly beyond reach. Combining new technologies with NASA content, lesson plans, and real-world experiments enables teachers to enhance inquiry-based learning and augment student engagement. This publication…

Chapter 1 of this document examines the need for alternative education among vulnerable youth by reviewing the numbers and characteristics of youth who disconnect from mainstream developmental pathways in various ways. The second chapter examines the question of "what is an alternative education school or program" and draws on a variety…

This book offers new insights and information on why students in high-poverty schools struggle with literacy achievement and what specific factors promote success. Findings from a unique study are translated into clear recommendations for enriching the classroom environment at different grade levels and helping all children, including English…

Unless children and parents have training and access to computers and the power they offer, computers create a barrier for them as they navigate a society that depends on computers for information and occupational advancement. This paper describes a program developed by North Shore Head Start in Beverly, Massachusetts and CAST (Center for Applied…

In May 1996, the Education Commission of the United States, with the support of the Charles A. Dana Foundation, convened a 2-day meeting in Austin (Texas) to focus on urban school district reform and restructuring. Participants, who included state policymakers, superintendents of several urban school systems, and a number of education researchers…

ExceL grants are a local funding initiative of the Austin Independent School District (Texas) designed to improve student achievement at the elementary level. Schools submit proposals for the 4-year grants, and the amount of the grant is determined based on the number of students not meeting minimum expectations on the Texas Assessment of Academic…

The essays in this collection, presented as letters to teachers, reaffirm Paulo Freire's place as the most significant educator in the world during the last half of the 20th century. As North America experiences a rapid change to conditions approximating those of the Third World, Freire's pedagogy becomes more important, not only for his methods…