Examines the relationship between the underrepresentation of Black students in gifted education and particular school-related and socioeconomic-status-related variables. Suggests that the recruitment of additional Black teachers and investigation of alternatives to present placement practices can achieve proportional Black student representation…

The effects of aid offers on enrollment decisions by college applicants from the classes of 1972, 1980, and 1982, and the effects the type of aid offered had on minority students are analyzed. All types of aid had a positive impact on decisions by college applicants including minority students. (Author/MLW)

Describes how an elementary classroom teacher discovers and explores the power of aesthetic experience in an educational context. Discusses how the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh helps an exceptionally difficult class of 11-year-old female students in suburban Dublin, Ireland, become interested in their education. (KM)

Reviews the literature on home-school disjunctures in language use. Argues that social inequalities are the true source of the academic failure of minority students and that attention must be given to the political link between school and society. (FMW)

This longitudinal study assessed differences in classroom arrangements (peer tutoring versus teacher instruction) and student behaviors for students of low versus high socioeconomic status (SES). Results with 94 teachers and 416 students indicate that peer tutoring was more effective in increasing academic engagement of low-SES students than…

Describes activities conducted in a fourth-grade classroom in Cincinnati (Ohio) with low-income students through the AT&T Learning Network. Students' developing interest in subject areas including national news, environmental issues, child support, coping with death, computer literacy, school rules, cultural awareness, and local history is…

Describes the theoretical framework and structure of the Teaching Excellence for Minority Student Achievement in the Sciences (TEMSAS) program and presents the outcomes for 483 preadolescent youths, 86% of whom were at-risk of low academic productivity. The paper discusses the program's efforts at building student confidence and academic…

Studied how positive the educational and social experiences were for vastly outnumbered and socially segregated minority students at a predominantly white university. Responses from 240 black and white students show that minority students are daily reminded, overtly and covertly, of their minority status. The alienation from campus life this…

Explores the background and context of the Australian federal government's new postcompulsory education and training policies. Examines the social, economic, and political context surrounding policy development and the "stitching together" of competing interests. The resulting policy directions, linking goals to equity issues, represent…

For many poor children in Latin America, successful adjustment to primary school is impeded by child, family, and school characteristics. Early intervention efforts have been moderately effective, but their initial effects are often overwhelmed by structural features of primary schools. A coherent, carefully supervised educational program with…

Reviews research on attitudes of citizens of industrialized nations toward the causes of poverty in developing nations. Reports on a study of 89 British adults and their attitudes toward poverty in the developing world. Finds attitudes of "Blame the Poor" that are consistent with previous research. (CFR)

Describes a study examining the perceptions of administrators, counselors, faculty, and underprepared students about the integration of underprepared students in an urban community college. Indicates that students unrealistically evaluate their academic integration and that college officials do not view academic and social integration in the same…

Describes Chile's "900 Schools Program," designed to raise achievement levels of poor 1st to 4th graders in reading, writing, and mathematics. Reviews key program efforts related to building improvements, textbooks and other learning resources, and workshops for teachers and students. Provides results from a 1990-91 assessment,…

Examines the effects of persistent economic hardship on children. Both black and white children who experienced persistent family economic hardship demonstrated problems in peer relations, showed conduct problems at school, and reported low self-esteem. Connections between persistent economic hardship and psychosocial adjustment were more…

Compares the relative plausibility of family processes and schooling opportunities as factors associated with sex and motherhood in poor communities. Suggests that young women who delayed onset of sexual activity, and who stayed at school even as teen mothers, had more positive perceptions of being students and of receiving family encouragement…