Addresses the issue of Title I student assessment for at-risk students and the possible funding ramifications if Title I schools reduce the frequency and coverage of their assessments. It argues that continued Congressional funding of Title I programs will be difficult if sufficient assessments cannot reveal positive impact. (GR)

Explores ways in which information technologies could be applied to community development, community health, and public safety in low-income urban communities. A list of inner-city information technology options is provided that includes the applications, functions, usage sites, and requirements for each option. (GR)

Cumulative learning losses over summer vacations are particularly detrimental to poorer children's reading achievement. By extending the relatively short 180-day U.S. school year, proactive and coordinated summer-school programs can help prevent "summer slide," closing test-score gaps and allowing children the extra learning time they…

Schools and districts with large number of economically disadvantaged students are likely to have higher average test scores if both are smaller. Larger school sizes, up to a reasonable limit, improve average test scores in affluent communities. Achievement among larger schools in larger districts shows the strongest relationship with…

Maintains that the high poverty levels in the United States implies that the goals of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) have not yet transformed the reality of U.S. citizens. Describes the national campaign called "Economic Human Rights: The Time Has Come!" that combats the violations of basic human rights like poverty.…

Study focuses on a sample of economically disadvantaged adolescents attending New York City schools (N=1,875). Longitudinal predictors of smoking from four domains were tested, with findings supporting both social learning theory and problem behavior theory. Discusses the key components for effective smoking prevention approaches. (Author/GCP)

A study of 3 mothers and their 12- to 18-month-old at-risk children found mothers engaged in more physical play, used a directive interaction style, and needed a high number of bids to keep their child's attention. Talk and play improved when mothers used pictures in books to talk to children. (Author/CR)

Describes the work of welfare reliant women and reveals commitment to work in the experiences of 84 welfare reliant, rural women interviewed for this study. Discussion focuses on women's formal participation in and barriers to the labor force; survival strategies for making ends meet while receiving welfare; and the stigma of welfare receipt. (BF)

Through a study of teacher job satisfaction in impoverished rural areas in northwest China, the authors examine the factors leading to satisfaction among teachers serving poor rural communities. A survey of rural primary school teachers, principals, and village leaders conducted in the year 2000 in Gansu is analyzed. In this article, the authors…

Half a century after Brown v. Board of Education, the great progress made in education can be marked, but the gap remains. Some federal and state political leaders have made gung-ho proclamations about leaving no child behind. Yet they send in too few troops, too lightly supported, and with too little planning. The vaunted "historic…

This study, assumes the significance of socioeconomic status (SES) or input factors in explaining achievement, and considers the impact of other "process" variables, that is, factors over which schools have some control. Using the Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) data, it examines these variables to determine the…

The findings in this article are from the first phase of a 5-year longitudinal interpretive study that seeks an understanding of how students enrolled in academically low-achieving schools located in economically disadvantaged areas socially construct their academic and career aspirations. This article describes the general perceptions that…

In many developing countries, the value of knowledge is in its capacity to save and enhance human lives. The absence, loss or restriction of such knowledge impacts at the lowest levels of disadvantage and poverty, in death and disease. Essential components of an effective health service are medicines and skilled human resources. This paper…

The authors have been engaged in research focused on how parents in high-poverty urban communities negotiate understandings and build sustaining relationships with others in school settings. In this article, the authors draw upon ethnographic methodology to report on the stories of three working-class immigrant parents and their efforts to…

The voucher model of financing schooling is becoming increasingly common throughout Latin America, with at least 12 countries using vouchers or voucher-like schemes. The present study focuses on the voucher models of Colombia and Chile, which have the most extensive programs of this type and those of the longest standing in the region. Using…