There is increasing evidence that American schools are doing a poor job of preparing students for the work force. Several studies have concluded that North Carolina has the worst school-to-work educational training system in the industrialized world. America's educators still have not learned how to deal with the problems that poverty creates for…

In January 1994, the Chicago Urban League (Illinois) brought together 11 of Chicago's leading scholars and community leaders for a discussion of the intersection of race and poverty. Nearly 300 people attended the symposium. The tone of the opening panel,"Racial/Ethnic Community Structures and the Making of Public Policy," was set by…

This keynote address focuses on equity in science and mathematics education. The science and math achievement of minority and poor children are discussed from an instructional policy perspective with emphasis on who gets access to what knowledge. The discussion about the politics of knowledge acquisition involves a discussion of race, class, and…

Efforts to reform the welfare system in the United States have been gaining momentum since the late 1980s. Critics have been arguing that states should receive federal waivers to create their own programs to encourage welfare recipients to find work. The thrust of the 1996 welfare reform act transfers control over welfare spending to the states.…

A study was conducted in Kentucky to increase the database available to the state's decision makers concerning women in relation to family status, occupational participation, income and earnings, and issues and concerns that may need greater emphases. Data were gathered through Kentucky government agencies and the U.S. Bureau of the Census as well…

This issue of the Canadian journal "Transitions" in both English and French versions, examines the role of grandparents in the family, with a specific focus on activities, trends, and research in Canada. The six feature articles are: (1) "Native Elders Can Help Mend Family Circle" (Dianne Meili), which discusses the role of…

This paper examines the status of social welfare programs in the United States and recent efforts to reform such programs. It proposes key issues that need to be addressed in any attempt to overhaul the federal welfare system. Welfare reform should ensure that: (1) those families on public assistance are able to meet their basic needs in order to…

Through a traditional status-attainment approach, this paper examines the attainments of young women in adult life across the four domains of education, labor-force participation, financial resources and avoidance of poverty, and experience with welfare. These life attainments were explored for a cohort of 62 young women, ages 14 to 25 in 1968,…

This volume summarizes the third year of the 3-year Study of Chapter 1 Implementation and addresses how schools have responded to the changes in Chapter 1 created by the Hawkins-Stafford Amendments of 1988. Results are summarized of nationally representative surveys, collected during 1991-92 and the third year of Hawkins-Stafford implementation,…

This publication is first in a series of annual updates of statistical information about young children and their families living in poverty in the United States. It builds on the report "Five Million Children: A Statistical Profile of Our Poorest Young Citizens," and incorporates information from the 1990 March Supplement to the Census…

This publication is the second in a series of annual updates of U.S. statistical data about young children (under 6 years old) and their families living in poverty. It builds on "Five Million Children: A Statistical Profile of Our Poorest Young Citizens," and incorporates new statistical data from the 1991 March Supplement to the Census…

This report examines how communities and groups can shape the content of health services to bring more comprehensive health services to poor children and families. The report is based on a study of 11 comprehensive primary care programs and systems some of which offer school-based services: 4 freestanding community-based programs, 4 local systems…

This paper analyzes the Bush Administration's budget request for homelessness programs, and argues that it promised little to alleviate the suffering of homeless people. The paper asserts that the proposal is the weakest in years, with overall spending down by 7 percent when adjusted for inflation. Programs hardest hit are new funding to increase…

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984 included a component focusing on programs for displaced homemakers and single parents. This part of the legislation was precipitated by the following statistics: almost half of all families maintained by single women had incomes below the poverty line; the number of displaced homemakers and…

The dropout problem in the United States is explored; and some suggestions for reducing the dropout rate are offered for parents, teachers, and principals. Several indicators have been recognized as placing a student at risk of dropping out of school. Dimensions of alienation have also been identified, as have social factors that contribute,…