This paper addresses the myth of socioeconomic dissonance and its effects on the identification, assessment, placement, and instruction of African-American students with special needs. Socioeconomic status is seen to predetermine the academic success and survival of African-American students. The paper looks at the politics of "poverty,"…

This Congressionally requested memorandum compares the Pell Grant provisions contained in the recent new versions proposed by the Senate and House with the current program. The first section describes the program, pointing out that students' eligibility for Pell Grants and the size of their awards depend on three factors: the amount they and their…

The Middle Childhood HOME (MC-HOME) Inventory is designed to measure the quality and quantity of stimulation and support available to a child in the home environment. It is an interview/questionnaire that is individually administered to the primary caregiver while the target child is awake and present. The instrument is intended to be a sensitive…

An at-risk profile instrument was developed for identification and service delivery for high risk students to identify students in a timely manner so that intervention could occur on a proactive, rather than reactive, basis; and to assist school district personnel to implement, monitor, and modify programmatic and staffing patterns to best meet…

The first findings of an evaluation of California's welfare-to-work program, Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), related to its impact on employment, earnings, and welfare payments. The impact results came from a study of applicants for and recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in six counties and were limited to the…

This practicum report describes an identification prototype used by a large metropolitan school district (Gwinnet County, Georgia) to identify giftedness in black and limited English speaking students. Underrepresentation of these groups in gifted programs is seen to result from: teacher reluctance to refer students from the target populations;…

This report examines focus-group recommendations addressing the issues in California's Hispanic health education. It reveals a perceived need to increase the political clout and organization of Hispanics, expand public education campaigns, and increase the access of Hispanics to affordable health care through legislative reform. In addition, the…

This document describes the With and For Parents program, a dropout prevention program focusing on parent involvement. Although not a conventional guidebook, this document can serve as a guide to the world of the urban disadvantaged through its recollection of program experiences. With and For Parents began in 1987 with 156 families of incoming…

This book explores the meaning, necessity, and benefits of multicultural education for students from all cultural backgrounds. The constant and complex interplay and interactions among personal, social, political, and educational factors in exploring the success or failure of students in schools and the benefits of multicultural education are…

During the past 40 years, the rapid pace and complex nature of social change has created a stress-filled environment for families. New challenges such as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), drug abuse, increasing crime, economic malaise, moral deterioration, and increases in mental health problems contribute to the increasing stress in…

The effects of infusing tradebooks into the school and home environments of non-White, low socioeconomic status, urban third through fifth graders were studied. Tradebooks are books with a purpose that is not school-based. The study was conducted in an urban kindergarten through grade 5 school in the Los Angeles (California) area, where 59 percent…

Schools are not serving our Black and Hispanic youth well, as standardized test scores reflect. The problem of educating these students must be addressed. This book offers suggestions to educators who have the interest, intent, and inspiration to facilitate achievement motivation among these students, but who may lack the information or teaching…

This manual and accompanying implementation handbook provide a framework for Saskatchewan community schools seeking to create the comprehensive, preventive, and empowering learning programs needed by Indian, Metis, and at-risk children. The introduction defines community schools and summarizes elements of the community schools best practices…

This study explores the question of accessibility to existing campus technology by low socio-economic, nontraditional, and minority college students. Questions posed are: (1) "Do nontraditional, low socio-economic and traditionally underrepresented students have the same access to computers and information technology as traditional majority…

This report provides a comprehensive portrait of educationally disadvantaged college aspirants, focusing on three important factors that hinder access to and success in postsecondary education. These factors--welfare participation, first-generation college student status, and parental divorce--exacerbate the obstacles that continue to confront…