Based on the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) recent report, this article provides the foundation for state accountability systems that focus on improvement. Contains NASBE's proposed Public Policy Position on Low Performing Schools. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/MLF)

A study of five high-poverty districts making strides in improving student achievement revealed that these districts focused on systemwide strategies including new approaches to professional development; making decisions based on data, not instinct; and redefining leadership roles. (MLF)

Investigates beliefs of four teachers of at-risk students. Discusses possible school failure and future high poverty communities as related to the students' family backgrounds. Identifies child abuse in the home, alcoholism, and single or absent parents as most frequent contributors to at-risk student behavior. (CMK)

In a Nova Scotia community where the majority of the children live in poverty, the social concerns of the community are woven throughout the elementary school curriculum, which is taught as extensively as possible through the creative arts. Substantive and potentially controversial issues such as power, equity, and social justice are relevant and…

School dropout rates for two consecutive years (1985-86 and 1986-87) for all California regular public high schools are examined in conjunction with the percentage of students covered by Aid to Families with Dependent Children, total enrollment, achievement, and academic course enrollments. Higher achievement was associated with lower dropout…

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) describes programs to improve poor Americans' access to home ownership and economic opportunity. Discusses the Home Ownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere (HOPE) initiative, enterprise zones, housing opportunity zones, and other tools to eliminate barriers to entrepreneurship, job…

Describes a computer-based learning package designed to introduce students to concepts and controversies surrounding the social problem of poverty in the United States and to familiarize them with public policies concerning that problem. Use of the "Poverty Game" is discussed and information concerning cost and availability of software…

The educational community needs to ensure that children have developed learning strategies before they are expected to develop subject or task proficiency. The low achievement of poor children is due to their lack of preparation. The stratification of American society is the major problem with education. (BJV)

Compares the survival strategies of low-income urban households in a squatter settlement in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil with those of such households in other regions. Suggests, uses, and criticizes a simple additive model of survival household activities. Identifies important factors that emerge, and suggests issues for further research. (Author/BJV)

Examines poverty levels of young and elderly women who live alone. Of all elderly women, 30 percent are in poverty compared with 21 percent of single young women. Variables include participation in labor force, education, age, benefits, and ethnicity. Women in rural areas more likely to be in poverty. (Author/TES)

Adults need to acknowledge the nature of this world more frequently in their discussions of youth violence. The media's focus on retribution and punishment reflects the popular anger over "bad" kids. Seeds of evil have sprung from an unkempt societal garden where widespread child poverty, disintegrating home environments, child abuse, a…

Research conducted by the Hunger Task Force in Contra Costa County (California) revealed a significant increase in the number of families, especially with young children, who live in poverty and who are going hungry. A food stamp outreach program, a countywide school breakfast program, and food distribution programs have been initiated. (LP)

Points out weaknesses in Salvadoran government policies, which seek to reform public education and build human capital in the interests of long-term economic development but fail to address extreme poverty and social inequality. Suggests that support for existing grass-roots economic and educational projects would help the poor and thereby…

Discusses the Clinton Administration's proposed overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), designed to assist the nation's poor and disadvantaged students. The new ESEA should set high standards for all children; focus on teaching and learning; stimulate local initiatives; reconnect schools, parents, and communities; and target…

Rural families in the 1990s have less to support their children and schools than a decade earlier: rural poverty (particularly among children), single-parent families, and maternal employment have increased whereas education and incomes of young adults have decreased. Although education has increased in importance for jobs, rural schools systems…