This book consists of working papers presented at the national child care conference and is intended to rejuvenate interest in the child care agenda for the 1990s. The first paper addresses child care policy and its relationship to child and family poverty, and child care and its connection to economic and labor force strategies. The second paper…

A distillation is presented of the ideas, facts, trends, conclusions, and recommendations presented during a 2-day conference on strategies to reduce urban poverty. The meeting addressed two main approaches to reducing urban poverty: economic opportunity and human development, and the linkages between them. Urban poverty was set in the context of…

In North Carolina, the Task Force on the Achievement of Culturally Diverse Students was established to respond to specific goals and objectives that speak to the achievement of African American, Native American, and Hispanic American students. Issues on homeless children and youths were addressed to a lesser extent since this group represents a…

This guide is intended to help schools develop linkages with the federal Medicaid program, particularly the Early and Periodic, Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program, a comprehensive and preventive health care system for Medicaid-eligible individuals up to age 21. The guide aims to: (1) acquaint schools with State Medicaid agencies…

Despite the critical failure of many urban schools to educate poor children and children of color, there are examples of schools and teachers who help students meet challenging academic standards in a supportive, culturally responsive, and empowering context. This paper represents one such success story of a teacher's efforts to nurture his…

Governments have traditionally left the plight of street children and working children, who by some counts number over 100 million, to individuals and nongovernmental organizations, including many religious organizations. As a result, there are a multitude of small, uncoordinated, but highly effective projects throughout the world concentrated in…

To study the nature and extent of the school-dropout problem among Hispanics, a review of relevant literature and an analysis of data from the 1990 decennial census were conducted. School-dropout rate for Hispanic Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 was approximately 30 percent, with the comparison figures at 18 percent for non-Hispanic Blacks…

It is a reality that many people are poor, and it is equally real that there is no firm basis to say how many millions of people really are poor. However much poverty there may be, Americans want to reduce it. In this collection of 18 essays, some leading scholars of poverty consider what can be done to reduce poverty. Part 1 explores poverty and…

"Confronting the New Politics of Child and Family Policy in the United States" is an 18-month project designed to help states, local governments, and the voluntary sector as they respond to the social policy debates and changes precipitated by the 104th Congress. The project's main vehicle will be a series of reports, based on a series…

This report provides a snapshot of homelessness in America as it exists today, and as it can be expected to exist in the future. By further dismantling the safety net that protects many families living on the edge, policymakers will ensure that the numbers of homeless and destitute families increase, creating a new era of homelessness dominated by…

This special issue of "The State of the World's Children" marks the 50th anniversary year of UNICEF and its work on behalf of children. Chapter 1 examines how wars and civil conflicts are taking an enormous toll on children. The chapter outlines a proposed anti-war agenda as a vital step to prevent and alleviate the suffering of children…

Hispanic Americans are diverse, but researchers are often limited by available data that do not highlight their diversity. This report presents information about the total Hispanic American population, along with data on the largest subgroups that make up that total. Good and bad news about Hispanics is presented using data from the U.S. Bureau of…

This chapter examines recent trends in rural poverty and discusses some characteristics of the rural poor compared to the urban poor. Sources of poverty data for 1967-90 include the income supplement of the Census Bureau's annual Current Population Survey and personal income data compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. "Rural" and…

This report provides objective information about the relationship of poverty, welfare, and homelessness to California's regional economy and about the design of programs that help people in poverty build working lives. California does not have enough jobs for its workforce, and welfare caseloads are consequently determined by the economy. The…

An intervention designed to increase the reading skills, habits, and styles of low-performing elementary school students was implemented in the Dallas Independent School District (Texas). The issues surrounding implementation illustrate many of the problems of inner-city schooling and disadvantaged students and offer some solutions. The Reading…