A preliminary evaluation and report were conducted of the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Public Schools' (MPS) Parental Choice Program (PCP) following its first year of operation. The state legislated program provides an opportunity for students meeting specific criteria to attend private, non-sectarian schools in Milwaukee. A payment from public funds…

This paper synthesizes data from recent reports about the well-being of U.S. children and youth, policies and proposals for enhancing at-risk children's quality of life, critical questions about the impact of these policies and proposals on all children and their families, trade-offs needed if proposed policies to assist disadvantaged children and…

This paper discusses major issues having to do with definition of terms and implementation strategies implicit in the first national education goal, which states: "By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn." The principles articulated in the paper by a collaboration of agencies and the private sector are…

A study was done of the relationship between public school poverty and student achievement among eighth graders, focusing on the poorest schools that are most likely to receive Chapter 1 assistance and on those students who seem to be achieving against all odds as compared to their peers who are not doing well in the same school. The study used…

As part of a larger study of school system communication with second language parents in three Alberta (Canada) urban senior high schools, this study focused on analysis of interview data from teachers responding to questions on intercultural communication barriers and bridges with students and immigrant parents. Data were collected through 30…

This report provides an analysis of current inequities in school finance in Illinois, the historical roots of those inequities, and an analysis of alternative options for funding primary and secondary education. An introduction briefly describes the basis for the constitutional challenge to the current funding system. The next section describes…

This document describes a study of a home-based language stimulation program for disadvantaged children. The project sought to train parents to act as the primary change agents during a period of expected rapid developmental progress in their children's language skills. The subjects were 73 two- to five-year-old children and their parents,…

This publication describes the Success for All elementary school reading program and its outcomes as well as the policy implications of this program's demonstration that reading failure can be prevented. An opening section describes the program itself, which involves a combination of high quality teaching, engaging parents in supporting students'…

As part of a long-term study of dropout related issues, this serial issue focuses on the topic of extracurricular activities and their availability in 15 of the largest urban districts in New Jersey. Following an opening section reviewing some of the positions taken over the years regarding extracurricular activities and their role in schools, the…

Working diligently, living frugally, and restraining one's lusts and appetites within defensible boundaries have often been classified as middle class values. A growing concern of the U.S. public is the dysfunctional conduct of many of those dependent upon its support. However, society must demonstrate persuasively that rectitude pays. Society…

The changing nature of immigration, the job market, and the world economy preclude today's immigrants from full participation in the culture because they are without adequate education. This paper provides insights into one group of students that is most likely to have problems in school: immigrant pre-literate adolescents. It describes the…

This report presents an overview of social and economic census data on African Americans, American Indians, Asians, and Chicanos/Latinos in the seven county metropolitan area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Among the findings are the following: (1) communities of color made up 9.2 percent of the total metropolitan area population in 1980; (2) poverty…

An evaluation of California's statewide Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program was based mainly on a sample of more than 2,500 welfare recipients in five of the six counties included in the ongoing evaluation. The evaluation drew on previously completed analyses and new data based on a survey of these recipients and the results of a…

This study tested M. Deutsch's theory of cooperation and conflict resolution using an intervention project at an inner city alternative high school in New York City. The study was designed to test the theory by confirmatory structural modeling and by evaluating the intervention. The procedure involved a pre- and post-test procedure administered…

These proceedings report on a 1994 conference on the planning, implementing, and refining of programs designed to enhance the first-year experience of college students in urban settings. Early sections detail conference aims, background and policies. One section describes workshops on various topics, provides a profile on the keynote speaker, and…