This report examines child poverty in the United States, discusses its cause and persistence, and makes recommendations for solutions. Areas examined involve the historical roots of social-welfare policy in the United States; the facts behind the mythologies and misperceptions concerning child and family poverty; the children and families to be…

Research on the results of welfare-to-work programs is both encouraging and sobering. On the one hand, it provides evidence that states can effectively implement various work-oriented programs to encourage large percentages of the welfare caseload to prepare for and enter the labor market. These programs range from rather low-intensity programs…

The economic condition of black Americans is discussed, proceeding from the assumption that black economic progress does not depend on a renewed struggle for unobtained civil rights, but rather on the creative response of black Americans to economic opportunity and problems. In the long run, black economic development must rely on the…

This report examines time-limited welfare beginning at the broadest level, tracing the rapid emergence of time-limited welfare as a policy approach in part I. Chapter 1 examines the history of time-limited welfare and the key challenges posed by this policy. Part II begins to focus on the three participating states--Florida, Vermont, and…

This publication for Pennsylvania educators outlines five homelessness curricula found in schools in Florida, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania, which aim to sensitize students to the realities of homelessness. The report points out that although the curricula differ in many ways, each covers the following key topics: (1) the causes and…

This paper reviews the literature on rural poverty in the Northeast relating to rural education and makes suggestions for educators who teach the rural poor. Against the theory of a "culture of poverty," which suggests that the rural poor avoid hard work by choice, the more recent view is that the poor often accept the Puritan work ethic…

This paper addresses educational reform as it affects dropouts, minorities, diverse cultures, training programs, and community-based education. Effective dropout-prevention models are presented that address the needs of at-risk populations. The author states that much dropout prevention and reclamation takes place off of school district campuses…

This report records the testimony presented by Clarence C. Crawford, Associate Director, Education and Employment Issues, Human Resources, of the General Accounting Office, on the effectiveness of Title IIA of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) in meeting the employment and training needs of economically disadvantaged adults and youth. His…

The Aspen Institute's ongoing action-research program, Local Employment Approaches for the Disadvantaged (LEAD), assessed 60 programs nationally. Local initiatives fell into four general categories, with numerous subcategories: self-employment, job training and placement, job creation and retention, and community-based finance. A second breakdown…

The current patchwork of programs designed to ameliorate poverty has failed. Efforts to alleviate poverty by expanding educational opportunities have also had little impact. Poverty among youth has increased during the past two decades even though federal funds for reducing poverty have grown and median educational attainment has increased.…

Although 6 million adults in Britain are studying at any one time, survey findings confirm continuing underrepresentation of people in lower socioeconomic levels. This paper suggests that widened participation in education and training is necessary to improve competitiveness and economic success and to enable all to have an equal opportunity of…

Intended to encourage and facilitate research, policy development, and advocacy on issues relevant to those who are in poverty despite employment, this bibliography lists 145 articles and studies focusing on the working poor. Following a description of the search method and a guide to the bibliography, the references are divided into two sections.…

This report discusses changes in markers of the well-being of children in California, focusing on at-risk children in lower income groups. The report considers earnings growth and decline for California's families, public and private resources available, family economics, health, education, and safety. Specific problems are discussed such as a…

This document presents data on the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the Hispanic origin population in the United States obtained through the March 1991 supplement to the Current Population Survey of the Bureau of the Census. Differences are highlighted in selected characteristics of Hispanic Americans compared between March…

A study determined how economically deprived people were portrayed in selected works of children's literature. The content of 30 children's books of realistic fiction written by authors and illustrators of Newbery and Caldecott Award Winners and Honor Books was analyzed. Results indicated that: (1) nearly all economically deprived characters were…