State and federal policymakers should consider research findings that demonstrate how quality early childhood programs prevent later academic failure among children from low-income families. Recommends ways funding and programs should be implemented. References included. (CJH)

Presents a selective bibliography of publications about Black women that have appeared since 1975, with the emphasis on women in the United States. Lists titles under these headings: biography, culture, diaspora, economic issues, history, literary history and criticism, literature, psychology and mental health, reference, social conditions, and…

Extends use of evolutionary theory in understanding developmental processes within societies for examining patterns occuring between societies. Emphasizes North American Indian situations. Examines four degrees of intersocietal integration: first contact, low, medium and high. (MH)

Teacher quality is one of the most important predictors of a child's academic achievement, but schools in Indiana and across the nation are struggling to employ a full cadre of teachers who are qualified to instruct the subjects they are teaching. This policy brief explores the factors and circumstances behind the national struggle to meet the…

Understanding the health literacy of America's adults is important because so many aspects of finding health care and health information, and maintaining health, depend on understanding written information. Many reports have suggested that low health literacy is associated with poor communication between patients and health care providers and with…

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was enacted in 1987 as the first federal legislation intended to comprehensively combat homelessness. Title VII-B of the Act created the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, which authorizes the appropriation of federal funds to ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness…

This report is designed to provide consistent reliable indicators to allow analysis of educational trends in each state over time and to provide high quality data to provide comparable information from state to state. The accessible indicator formats are designed for increased uses by a variety of audiences. The report contains two-page profiles…

This report profiles child wellbeing for each state and the District of Columbia, using data from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Censuses. Each profile includes a graph showing 1990-00 trends for five key indicators of child wellbeing: children in poverty; children in single-parent households; teens who are high school dropouts; children who have…

This guide compares statistics for black and non-Hispanic white children in each state to assess gaps in economic, educational, and social wellbeing. It uses data from the 2000 U.S. Decennial Census and addresses: demographics (e.g., number of children under age 18, under age 6, ages 6-12, and ages 13-17); families and households (e.g., percent of…

This document is one of a series of reports based on the Special Education Expenditure Project, a study of the nation's spending on special education and related services based on analysis of data for the 1999-2000 school year. This report focuses on general patterns of variation in total spending on special education students across districts…

Noting that little is known about the costs and effectiveness of family support services, this study examined the full range of services provided to 40 families in need by two local authorities in North Wales. The study compared costs in the two authorities and well-being for the families after 3 months. Findings indicated that the families in the…

As federal and state officials consider the reauthorization of the block grants at the center of the 1996 federal welfare reform law, it is critical that they use findings from research regarding the impact of welfare reform to guide their decisions. This special report examines the impact of welfare reform on children and youth, drawing on…

Concerned with social contexts and culture as they apply to parenting, this volume, the fourth of five on parenting, deals specifically with socially defined groups of parents and social conditions that promote variations in parenting. The volume consists of the following 15 chapters: (1) "Ethnic and Minority Parenting" (Cynthia Garcia…

This digest reviews research on the status of rural student achievement and schooling conditions and describes variations across the nation and the states. Between 1992 and 1996, rural students began to outperform nonrural students on the 8th-grade mathematics assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite this aggregate…

This teacher's guide presents teaching suggestions and presentation materials about the complex connections among population growth, economic activity, and changes in the environment. The lesson is divided into five parts and may be completed in one or more class periods. Student handouts include: (1) "Facts about Population, Poverty, and…