This study used a naturalistic, qualitative design to investigate 12 preservice teachers' views toward urban education during a two-week experience in an urban high school. In-depth case studies to two of the subjects were constructed using data sources consisting of essays and interviews (pre- and post-experience), student journals, and…

This newsletter includes five articles on early childhood education and young children, with particular reference to poor and minority children. "Scientific Literacy Is Child's Play" (Hilaria Bauer) discusses the natural development of scientific literacy in young children through their construction of knowledge and play. "Children of America,…

This report addresses the high incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE) among Native Americans and suggests that there is a lack of comprehensive effort to provide outreach services to the Native American population in Illinois. The report begins with an overview of American Indian history and the migration of…

The West Virginia School Building Authority (SBA) was created by the state legislature in 1989 to carry out a mandate of the "Recht Decision," which found the state's school financing system to be largely unconstitutional. The SBA was created to sell bonds for educational facility financing and distribute the money to county school…

Fifteen of the lowest-income neighborhoods in Cleveland (Ohio) are the focus of this report, which is concerned with the schooling of students in these 15 neighborhoods. These areas encompass most of the traditional, new, and emerging poverty areas identified in a previous report. Sixty public and 22 private and Catholic schools are examined in…

This KIDS COUNT statistical report profiles the status of children in Maryland by tracking trends in economic well-being, health, safety, and education. The report is divided into four sections. Section 1, "Status of Our Children," presents a vision for Maryland's children, presents the key findings, ranks Maryland's counties, and…

A study was conducted to determine if students from low socioeconomic environments have lower academic achievement compared to the academic achievement of students from higher socioeconomic environments. The sample consisted of 66 6th-grade science students at Travis Middle School, Temple, Texas. The students were divided into a low-income group…

Almost one quarter of American children live in poverty, and the effects of poverty on these children are mediated by many family and social conditions. Poverty affects parenting practices and the home environment, with consequential effects on child adjustment and functioning. Changes in income cause changes in parenting and the quality of the…

As many as 40 percent of America's school-aged children are at-risk of failure within the current educational system. Many factors outside of school, such as poverty and debilitating parent and family influences, contribute to student failure. Within the school, the most effective factor of intervention for at-risk students is the individual…

This publication is the text of the House of Representatives bill, H.R. 5600 introduced to the U.S. Congress and titled "Children's Initiative." This legislation is designed to promote family preservation and the prevention of foster care with emphasis on families where abuse of alcohol or drugs is present, to improve the quality and…

This research report presents data showing that overcrowding in the New York City public schools is having significantly negative effects on instruction and learning in the system. The impact is particularly strong in schools that have a high proportion of students of low socioeconomic background, where overcrowding is sharply linked to lower…

This bibliography is a comprehensive treatment of poverty in the United States. It summarizes the major economic, literary, sociological, historical, and other social-science literature written over the past century on this topic. In addition to general descriptions of the measurement, causes, and consequences of poverty, individual chapters…

This paper documents migrant farm workers as being among the most persistently underprivileged groups in American society. Migrant farm workers typically receive low wages from irregular employment and live in poverty with access to only substandard housing and inadequate health care. The lack of economic improvement stems from a number of…

Drawing on census and survey data from 1940 to 1990, this book offers an overview of the dramatic transformations in American childhood over the past 50 years and presents the case for overhauling national child welfare policies. The first chapter examines the life course of children and provides an introduction to the remainder of the book.…

Hispanics are a diverse group with considerable differences in country of origin, social class, race, educational status, and level of assimilation. Nonetheless, what does characterize all the major groups except the Cubans, albeit in varying intensities, are high levels of poverty and low levels of educational achievement. Cultural differences…