This newsletter, created for teachers, parents, and others interested in current educational themes, addresses the issue of mentoring, what it is, how it works, and why it is needed; and provides some examples of current mentoring programs. It explains that there are two types of mentoring: natural, such as through friends, relatives, and…

This report takes a hard look at the day-to-day workings of Palm Beach County (Florida) schools to explain why the systemic change model of Florida's current reform legislation is likely to fail the students in greatest need of improved schooling. The Palm Beach County School District is the 4th largest district in Florida, and the 15th largest in…

Smart Start is a broad-based community initiative to ensure that all of North Carolina's children arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. This study examined the effect of Smart Start on the quality of child care from 1994-1996. Data were collected from child care centers in 12 counties implementing the initiative. Data collectors visited 180…

During the 1995-96 school year, the 387 nonpublic schools of Chicago (Illinois) enrolled 104,636 students, while the 550 public schools had an enrollment of 412,921. One of every five Chicago students attended a nonpublic school. About 10% of Chicago private school students are in schools that cater to the upper and middle class, but the majority,…

This review attempts to clarify adult education's role in moving individuals from welfare to work. Part 1 reviews research on this role, job prospects for low-skilled workers, and literacy requirements of workplaces. Part 1 reports these findings: the likelihood of being on welfare goes up as literacy goes down; a labor force attachment approach…

Passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which includes the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, has caused dramatic changes in welfare reform. PRWORA emphasizes a Work First approach to welfare reform; to receive full TANF funding, states must meet the minimum required…

In response to a legislative mandate, this report examines the ways in which migrant students are served in schoolwide program schools and the involvement of migrant representatives and migrant program staff in the schoolwide process. A survey was sent to a nationally representative sample (696) of the 2,770 Title I schools that implemented the…

This theme issue includes five articles that focus on issues surrounding gifted and talented students, especially as they relate to poor, minority, or limited-English-proficient children. "Traditional Methods of Identifying Gifted Students Overlooks Many" (Linda Cantu) presents findings from the National Educational Longitudinal Study…

Clerks, salespersons, plant and machine operators and laborers, and related workers, defined as operative workers, currently form more than half the work force. They share the following characteristics: comparatively low earnings, limited qualifications, often employed in industries subject to economic restructuring and sensitive to economic…

This report describes some of the ways in which Head Start agencies are helping to set parents on the path to self-sufficiency. The report is intended to illustrate the variety of initiatives that are underway and to highlight the important work all Head Start agencies are doing to support parents as they move from welfare to work. The…

The School-to-Work Urban Opportunities Program represents a 5-year commitment by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) (Texas) and the Houston Community College System to establish a program to facilitate students' development of the skills and abilities necessary to secure meaningful employment. The program involves one high school and…

The primary purpose of the Student Literacy Corps Project is to: (1) improve the literacy skills of approximately 200 educationally disadvantaged children and increase the parents' involvement in their children's literacy development; (2) provide a tutoring experience for approximately 45 undergraduate students and a coaching experience for…

This document contains testimony and prepared statements presented at a hearing held on the initiative of the U.S. Student Association as the kick-off for a series of student-led regional hearings on the Higher Education Act and particularly the financial implications that students and families from across the United States to be held across the…

This paper demonstrates how jointly planned activities can provide an integrated system in bridging the quality gap between urban and rural education in Australia. A national communications policy and delivery system would provide a cost-effective way of improving services to rural areas. Rural schools and colleges can be transformed by developing…

In order to break the cycle of poverty for disadvantaged children and their families, action must be taken to redistribute income and other resources and improve services and institutions that serve the poor. Successful programs are the following: (1) comprehensive, flexible, and responsive; (2) staffed by workers who develop relationships of…