A general equilibrium schooling model shows that greater school efficiency is complementary with more equal opportunity, increased overall learning, more integration, stable teacher salaries, and fewer course preparations per teacher. Transferring students to area schools with curricula suited to their abilities would secure these ends. (Contains…

Business, community members, and county government cooperated in establishing a literacy center in Catoosa County, Georgia, that provides free GED classes; courses in English, math, basic reading, computer skills, and parenting; and classes offered by a local technical college. Free classes, child care, and GED tests and a flexible schedule remove…

Energy Express is a summer reading and nutrition program for disadvantaged young children in 80 rural West Virginia communities. College student/AmeriCorps mentors support childrens' literacy by creating a print-rich environment, using a place-based curriculum, and providing activities, including a community service project. Two case studies…

By focusing on advantages inherent in what are typically considered disadvantages for rural schools, 14 rural, southern California school districts cooperated in implementing a successful inquiry-based elementary science program. Isolation and low population density resulted in a stable teaching force familiar with the community, and the area's…

Evaluates the impact of education policy initiatives on academic achievement and educational equity for Latino students, particularly bilingual learners. Examines the impact of California's Proposition 227 and concurrent laws regarding promotion and retention and approaches to literacy instruction. Suggests that the impact of state and federal…

A Seattle (Washington) initiative is dedicated to building a system for out-of-school care, especially for low income, minority families. In this interview, the program coordinator describes how area out-of-school providers cooperated to train staff, train trainers, and elevate the field to a profession. Major issues that affect program quality…

Describes the conditions that prompted the filing of a federal lawsuit on behalf of students attending high-minority schools in New York State alleging that the state's education system violates the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. Examines the academic achievement of children in high- versus low-minority schools, noting educational policies,…

Describes efforts such as diversity tolerance, gang resistance, and summer youth programs at Walnut Middle School (Nebraska) to help reduce incidents of bullying and violence. States that the number of assaults dropped from 146 in 1998-99 to 51 in 2000-2001, after the anti-violence campaign was implemented. (Contains 12 references.) (NB)

Examines the history of students who cannot do what educators want them to do, noting how educators have labeled poor performers in different periods and how these labels reflect both attitudes and institutional conditions. The paper summarizes four major historical explanations for why children fail and explores implications of this history for…

Mentoring programs attempt to foster a relationship that is too often missing from the lives of disadvantaged children and youth. However, in view of both the power and the limitations of mentoring programs, it is important to understand how mentoring occurs naturally. Assuming an ecological perspective, we examine mentoring in four contexts:…

This paper focuses on how community educators might collaborate to help break the cycle of frustration, failure, and violence that shadows many disadvantaged inner-city African American students. It suggests that persistent, race-based inequities in urban areas are a major factor in this syndrome. These causes are proposed to be disparity in…

Addressing the issue of teachers' low expectations of students of color and those in poverty poses significant challenges to teacher education. The growing body of research focused on this issue documents ways teachers can make a real difference in the educational lives of children. Ladson-Billings' (1992; 1994; 1995) and others demonstrate that…

Comments on "Psychotherapy, classism, and the poor: Conspicuous by their absence" by Laura Smith (see record 2005-11834-002). This article might have improved Smith's argument that prejudice and oppression (classism) are significant obstacles preventing the poor from receiving psychological services if she had presented evidence to…

Research indicates that while grade retention does not typically increase student performance, it is widely practiced in schools throughout the country. Arguments for retaining a child include immaturity, the belief that an extra year of schooling will produce successful academic outcomes, and failure to meet criteria for promotion. Those who…

Background: Disadvantaged communities are increasingly the target for interventions. Sure Start was launched in England in 1999 to tackle child poverty and improve child and family services, with Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) targeted at relatively small areas of marked deprivation. However, they are located in a range of different types of…