Identifies reasons (institutional racism, poverty, cultural differences, professional bias) for the overrepresentation of minority group children and poor children in the child protective system. Analyzes issues of race and class in child welfare. Discusses implications for social work practice and policy. Contains 60 references. (Author/SAS)

Explored the relationships among technology, reform, and equality through quantitative studies at an elite private school and an impoverished public school. Although reforms appeared similar, underlying differences in resources and expectations reinforced patterns by which the two schools channel students into different futures. (Author/SLD)

Assesses effectiveness of three preschool curriculum models by examining the lives of 68 23-year-olds randomly assigned to one such group as economically disadvantaged preschoolers. Young people experienced fewer emotional problems and felony arrests if they had attended a preschool program based on child-initiated learning activities geared to…

In Pennsylvania, high-poverty nonmetro counties are attracting additional poor immigrants, especially the least educated, at the same time that college graduates are showing a net outmigration from rural areas. This pattern increases the strain on rural educational and social services. Survey results suggest that the poor move primarily for…

Considers human capital and economic organization perspectives in the analysis of patterns of employment and poverty among American Indians and Whites in Rosebud County, Montana. Uses an "embeddedness" approach involving ethnographic data and recent analyses of schooling to illuminate the role of local cultural knowledge and social…

Used home observations and laboratory procedures with 85 Chilean mothers and infants to examine the association between infants' chronic undernutrition and maternal sensitivity, sociodemographic variables, and infants' play and problem solving. Found that maternal sensitivity was correlated with maternal education, maternal weight, marital…

In an urban Brazilian shantytown, poor mothers took the risk of becoming squatters on public land (despite repressive actions by a military dictatorship) because activism was their only avenue to access the resources (housing) needed for motherhood--their only available valued identity. Poor fathers, having other possible identities, tended to…

Outlines central elements of feminist family theory and reviews existing research on women's postdivorce economic status. Explores implications of challenging monolithic family conceptions; making gender a central analysis category; and expanding conceptualizations of women. Discusses suggestions for future research, refinement in theory, and…

Challenges all adults, especially educators, to care genuinely for all our children. The percentage of U.S. children living in poverty is double that of any other industrialized nation. The children's crusade has three parts: a children's investment trust fund, a children's legal rights system, and a "shepherds program" to strengthen…

Studied the social networks and daily activities of children and adolescents living or working on the streets of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Found that youngsters who lived at home and worked on the street appeared to be experiencing orderly development despite their impoverished circumstances. Youngsters who lived on the streets, however, showed…

South Africa and the United States face similar problems: teachers' inadequacies in educating an increasingly diverse population; a culture of poverty undermining public support; urban decay and declining tax bases; insufficient resources; totally inadequate school facilities; and unrealistic expectations, considering allotted resources, faculty,…

Most discussions about narrowing the achievement gap focus on ways to provide disadvantaged children with schooling comparable to that received by middle-class kids. Addressing deficiencies in children's social environment, health, housing, and family income would be more effective and would probably reduce special-education spending. (MLH)

High-stakes testing creates a system that is unfair and destructive to learning. This paper critiques several common defenses of high-stakes testing, including claims that this strategy is necessary for addressing educational inequalities. The paper argues that an emphasis on tougher standards, accountability, and standardized testing is uniquely…

Maintains that Dewey tried to solve social problems related to the growth of industrialism, increasing economic inequality, and political inequality. Argues that Dewey aspired to create a counterculture to correct the human and social devastation of industrial capitalism through a curriculum and instruction that rooted academic learning in…

Discusses community colleges and welfare-to-work programs from a rural perspective, specifically in Illinois. Examines the barriers to rural welfare recipients in terms of job placement, benefits of collaborative efforts, and importance of education and training. (Contains 11 references.) (AUTH/NB)