The term "underclass" is often used to describe concentrations of inner-city Blacks in urban neighborhoods where social problems are common, mostly in large metropolitan areas. The most widely used empirical measurements of underclass are the spatial concentrations of poverty and social problems. Characterizing the underclass as almost entirely a…

This study examines the impact of family structure, poverty level, and region of residence on educational attainment. The study uses data collected by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, with a probability sample of 3,854 men and women aged 14 to 18 in 1979. Logistic regression was used to allow for the analysis of dichotomous dependent…

By embracing education as an economic development tool, policy makers adopt a new economic metaphor--a new way of understanding how the economy works and identifying determinants of development. Development policy has shifted focus, from providing incentives for the accumulation of physical capital to emphasizing investments in human capital. Most…

The report summarizes the health status and service needs of children in the United States. The first of the report's three sections describes the general population to provide a context for health measures. In the second section selected health status measures are presented graphically with accompanying text organized according to three age…

This report summarizes a study conducted by the New York Family Services Project (NYFSP) of Bank Street College. The study's principal objectives were the following: (1) to document the developmental status of preschool-aged homeless children in comparison to a group of poor housed children, and the special contribution of exposure to early…

Provided in this document are detailed abstracts of studies in the areas of human development, and marriage and family relations. Studies were completed in the Department of Child Development of the Faculty of Home Science, M. S. University of Baroda, India. The first section, on human development, describes studies of physical, motor, and mental…

The Women and Poverty Public Education Initiative (WPPEI), established by the University of Wisconsin Women's Studies Consortium Outreach Office in 1994, developed a collaborative outreach scholarship model that paired women from the poverty community with women's studies faculty from universities in eight Wisconsin communities to study the…

To provide potential dropouts with increased opportunities for academic and social success and ensure school and community involvement, the Clinton County School District (Kentucky) has developed a comprehensive dropout prevention program emphasizing the assessment of student needs. This paper describes the program's purpose, target groups,…

A study was conducted in 1987 to: (1) assess the impact of the farm financial crisis in Washington State; (2) identify at-risk populations; and (3) suggest appropriate programs and agency responses. Particular emphasis was placed on making recommendations for training and development programs to aid in reemployment of dislocated agricultural…

This report covers major events in early childhood education in 1989. Discussion addresses: (1) the possibility of newly available funding due to the end of the Cold War; (2) legislation stalled in Congress; (3) new studies documenting problems in child day care; (4) slow increases in corporate child care; (5) increases in public school child…

The South Asian population has emerged as a dynamic and affluent cultural minority in the United States. The 1980 Census, which provides the basis for this report, estimates the number of South Asians at around 400,000, and projections suggest that over one million will have joined the U.S. population by the year 2000. South Asian ethnicity is…

The at-risk status of so many American children is not an accident, but rather a direct result of our social and economic history. This document briefly recounts the history of blacks in the United States and draws on the experiences of the author in his capacity as superintendent of an urban school district to substantiate this position. Reverse…

A seminar was held at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in August 1987 on the subject, "Illiteracy and the Underclass: Are They Permanent?" The contributions of Chall, Comer, Epstein, Dash, and Rivera identified where illiteracy problems begin--in families with intergenerational patterns of illiteracy. Problems in estimating the numbers of…

This report presents research findings on the opinions of 58 low-income black men and women who discuss whether or not they feel they could earn their way out of poverty and how they might do so. The research involved four focus groups of employed and unemployed men and women from the Washington, D.C., area. The following general conclusions are…

Analysis of information gained from the March 1986 Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Bureau of the Census shows the following results for the year 1985: (1) median family money income continued to move ahead of inflation; (2) the median earnings of men showed no statistically significant change from 1984, but the earnings of women…