Describes U.S. student body's unique diversity and startling demographic changes to come, considers student achievement data from grade school to graduate school, discusses educators' failures in working with certain students, and indicates what must be done to educate all young Americans. Concentrating efforts on at-risk students (lowest 40%) and…

Eighty-five persons with developmental disabilities who had been placed into independent housing and competitive employment 15 years previously were evaluated. Two primary groups emerged: 19% in and 59% not in mental retardation/developmental disability services. The two groups were compared on social and support networks, lifestyle, quality of…

Rural Josephine County, Oregon, used federal Enterprise Community funds to revitalize its communities. The elementary school serves as a hub, sharing resources with a parenting and preschool center, a coalition of 26 service providers, and the Enterprise Community organization. Describes how communities cooperate in providing adult education,…

Examines child and family risk factors and behavioral indexes of youths with emotional and behavioral disorders to determine critical factors that predicted the restrictiveness of their educational placements. Discusses findings in the context of system of care efforts to reform service system response to youth with special-education and…

Describes a freshman composition course that combines service learning and composition theory by having students publish Internet profiles of local social-service agencies. The project concludes a year-long course examining American social issues, drawing on varied texts and genres, and emphasizing social construction, active learning, the…

This study estimates a 1991 population of 2.97 million Americans with mental retardation, with 2.63 million living outside formal long-term care systems. Observations suggest that families are the dominant source of support, many live in households headed by aging family members, and there are significant economic disparities between family…

Argues that there is an information deficit concerning early childhood services in England. Maintains that accurate, available information is necessary for good policy, open and democratic decision making, and visibility for young children. Considers how an adequate information system might be developed based on annual returns from individual…

Assesses the social and environmental problems of 132 patients seen in a primary care clinic at a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center. Prevalent social problems included financial difficulties, personal stress, family problems, legal concerns, and employment concerns. Findings suggest a clear need for social work…

Instructional-time analyses illustrate how school management, social/cultural welfare programs, high-stakes testing, system policies, and "organizational efficiencies" combine to cripple enormous blocks of annual instructional time in Chicago Public Schools. Administrators should rethink allocated time and schedule tests, special events,…

Discusses the results of a survey in England of 89 local education agencies (LEAs) and 89 social service departments (SSDs), that investigated the audiological support to young children with hearing impairments. Results indicated interagency collaboration and that LEAs were more likely to provide separate services for children with hearing…

Children exposed to parental substance abuse, mental illness, and violence face profound challenges, including increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems, substance abuse, and victimization. In this article, we describe the characteristics of a sample of children of women entering treatment. These children had been exposed to domestic…

This article examines interstate variation in household food security. Using hierarchical modeling, we identify several kinds of state characteristics that appear linked to household food security: the availability and accessibility of federal nutrition assistance programs, policies affecting economic wellbeing of low income families, and states'…

The complex formed by chronic illness, episodes of acute illness, physiological disabilities, functional limitations, and cognitive problems is prevalent among frail elderly persons. These individuals rely on assistance from social and health care programs, which in Canada are still fragmented. SIPA is an integrated service model based on…

The influence of recent social and economic changes in the Israeli kibbutz on the prolonged stage of youth was examined with respect to higher education. The young people on the kibbutz of the late 1990s appear less moratorial and more instrumental about their future and commence higher education earlier than in previous age cohorts. When starting…

Children in foster care face a challenging journey through childhood. In addition to the troubling family circumstances that bring them into state care, they face additional difficulties within the child welfare system that may further compromise their healthy development. This article discusses the importance of safety and stability to healthy…