Uses data from current research and two older adult focus groups to develop a conceptual model of exercise self-efficacy and its predictors among older adults. Specifically addresses the issue of low socioeconomic status among older adults and how to improve their health and activity level. (SNR)

Discusses issues in reconceptualizing early childhood care and development ideas that were formulated in western industrialized countries to better fit the cultures of third world countries. Notes the importance of adapting early childhood programs at a conceptual level to ensure their success when implemented with other cultures. (JPB)

Discusses the role of the arts in multicultural education, explaining how diverse students react to and need support in the arts in order to succeed. Focuses on the efforts of urban elementary and secondary schools in Madison, Wisconsin. Also examines the use of mentoring and tutoring to help raise the academic achievement of minority students who…

Staff development leading to significant improvement in student learning is results-driven, standards-based, job-embedded, and focused on teachers' content and instructional skills. The National Staff Development Council's recently adopted code of ethics aims to increase awareness of ethical issues and improve decision-making capabilities…

Describes qualities of a good preschool child-development program: Competent staff, parent partnerships, administrative support, and school board support. Provides list of online resources. (PKP)

Interviewed young women with social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties during their school years, examining alternative schooling and professional support they received. Explores current issues in the press and academic literature about the underclass, single motherhood, work and unemployment, and professional support, arguing for an…

Federal legislation passed in 1994 and the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration program (CSRD) encourage high-poverty Title I schools to adopt prepackaged research-based models of schoolwide reform. The nine components of CSRD and key ingredients for its implementation are discussed. Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School (Vancouver, Washington)…

Describes reforms at Berniss Elementary School (Spokane, Washington) from 1992 to 1999. A Title I school serving poor and immigrant neighborhoods, Berniss showed dramatic improvements in standardized test scores. Reform strategies included hiring four facilitators as peer coaches to encourage reform, changing teaching methods to promote active…

Examined relations between alternative representations of poverty cofactors and promotion processes, and problem behaviors of 6- and 7-year-olds from disadvantaged families. Found that single-index risk representations and promotion variables predicted aggression but not anxiety/depression. An additive model of individual risk indicators performed…

This study addressed 2 questions: (a) Can preschoolers who will fail at reading be more efficiently identified by targeting those at highest risk for reading problems? and (b) will auditory temporal processing (ATP) improve the accuracy of identification derived from phonological processing and oral language ability? A sample of 227 preschoolers…

During the summer vacation children who are economically disadvantaged experience declines in reading achievement, while middle- and high-income children improve. Previous research has demonstrated that the most widely implemented intervention -- sending economically disadvantaged students to summer school -- has not led to increases in reading…

The experience of poverty has a pervasive impact on the health (including mental health) of children and their parent(s), on family functioning and on the life course of children. The aim of this paper is to consider the relevance of poverty to our understanding of the health (and mental health) of children with intellectual disabilities in the…

In this chapter, the author discusses immigrant newcomer populations and their experiences with K-12 schooling in preparation for and access to postsecondary education. Much attention has been paid to the concept of immigrant optimism, namely, that immigrant parents are optimistic about their children's futures, including their educational…

Over the last few decades, the energy literature has been dominated by a theory of transition. The theory of transition is based on the notion that households gradually ascend an "energy ladder", which begins with traditional biomass fuels (firewood and charcoal), moves through modern commercial fuels (kerosene and liquid petroleum gas…

Poor children confront widespread environmental inequities. Compared with their economically advantaged counterparts, they are exposed to more family turmoil, violence, separation from their families, instability, and chaotic households. Poor children experience less social support, and their parents are less responsive and more authoritarian.…