The National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) was charged with evaluating the status of vocational education and the impact of Perkins III. After more than 3 years of study NAVE finds that: (1) Vocational education has important short- and medium-run earning benefits for most students at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, and…

This issue provides information on recent publications and resources on outcomes for teenagers in families receiving or transitioning off the welfare rolls and in innovative youth development programs for those and other at-risk youth. Thirteen publications are listed for additional information. A list of 17 Web sites for more information is…

This study examined whether the provision of AUSTUDY improved educational participation in Australian higher education and improved access for certain disadvantaged groups. It also examined corporate knowledge about AUSTUDY, the impact of the initiative on educational participation across income groups and geographic regions, and lessons learned.…

Mr. Fay Vincent, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball and Executive Vice President of The Coca Cola Company, provides a crisp, concise assessment of a trend that has worried us for quite a while: the growing trend of rewarding academically-gifted and typically-affluent students with an extra dose of merit aid, often at the expense of…

Gender discrimination in India affects poor women's socio-economic development. This paper describes and interprets recurrent themes indicating that the Indian government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other international human rights organizations show growing concerns regarding gender inequality in India. As it is not within the…

These three brochures discuss important issues related to child welfare. The first, "Family Support: A New Approach to Child Well-Being," summarizes this philosophy of community service. Family support is defined and differentiated from traditional services; its advantages are outlined; and specific family support programs in…

While opponents of school choice contend that choice will lead to the demise of public education, the weakening of civil society, and the fostering of separate and unequal systems of education, this book argues that these long-held assertions must give way to present realities. The United States' rich and diverse experience with magnet schools,…

This study examined three federally supported programs that utilize Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in the identification of giftedness in economically disadvantaged and minority group youth. Following an extensive review of the literature, three chapters examine each program in detail. Each chapter first sets the identification…

This report describes how children bear the brunt of poverty and explains why they are central to poverty reduction in developing nations. The report also illustrates UNICEF's support for the process of improving access to, and quality of, health care, education, water and sanitation, and child protection. It describes how the participation of the…

The Career and Technology Education (CATE) program of the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Texas, is a system of integrated school-based and work-based learning that combines academic and occupational learning. The programs offer a sequence of courses in 8 career clusters, designed around current and emerging occupational trends, and…

Economic and political turmoil have led to a dramatic fall in living standards in the Republic of Georgia. Rural areas have been hit particularly hard, suffering from increasing marginalization; worsening access to roads, information, health care facilities and markets; and dilapidation of health and education establishments. In an effort to…

A study reports on the Nevada Even Start Family Literacy Program (NEST), which provides educational opportunities to parents and children as a family unit through core services such as adult, parenting, and early childhood education. Questions asked in the study were who the program serves, what services are received, how funding is allocated, how…

Recent research in West Virginia and California has linked school size to both effectiveness and equity, finding that as school size increased, the mean achievement costs for schools with less-advantaged students became more burdensome. An effort was undertaken to replicate this research in four states offering a variety of school settings and…

The study reported here was designed to describe Title I school-parent compact development and implementation across a sample of five schools with promising compacts. The four findings and guidelines for developing compacts highlight the varied experiences of five Title I schools, each of which demonstrates a broad base of support for strong…

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania analyzed data from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare concerning rural homelessness for fiscal years 1997 through 1999. Findings indicate that rural Pennsylvania has a homeless population and it is growing. In 1999, more than 21,700 clients received homeless assistance in rural areas, 44 percent of whom…