The reasons given for the apparent decline in family well-being include weakened family values, poor parenting, detrimental behavior of parents and young people, and social and economic forces in the larger society that make it difficult for families to perform their functions well. So great is the concern that some observers are convinced that…

This report reviews selected issues and progress to date in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in improving primary education quality and provides suggestions and recommendations for the future. The report examines: (1) learning, school completion, and grade repetition in LAC; (2) the relationships between primary school inputs and outputs in…

This study uses data from the U.S. Census' 1980 and 1990 Current Population Survey to examine characteristics of the underclass populations in rural and urban areas. The analysis assesses changes of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan underclass populations between 1980 and 1990, with special attention to race and geographic area. Underclass…

This publication offers a portrait of poverty in San Antonio (Texas) based on an analysis of available statistical data and focusing on health, education, employment, housing, and human services. Five chapters each contain statistics regarding poverty in the United States, Texas, and San Antonio. Each chapter also begins with true stories about…

This study evaluated the adaptation and adjustment processes of 28 Khmer children (aged 10 to 15 years) in the Boston (Massachusetts) area in a summer school setting provided by the Metropolitan Indochinese Children and Adolescent Services (MICAS). Using the Children's Acculturation Problem Index and the Children's Alienation Scale, supplemented…

This report contains the first-year research and findings of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Puerto Rican Young Men and Poverty Project. This project is a 2-year community-based effort to understand and begin to explain the relationship between the experiences of Puerto Rican men aged 16 to 24 years and the persistent poverty of Puerto…

This report reviews and analyzes programs to educate homeless children and youth. A look at the national perspective describes the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, its passage and content. The paper argues that the Department of Education, charged with implementing the Act, failed to do so. Delays, inadequate monitoring, and…

A study was done of homeless children and their access to education in District of Columbia Public Schools and of implementation of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in that school district. A review of District of Columbia proposals for programing and for funding, interviews with school and city officials, and interviews with…

The issues facing urban Appalachian children and their families in Cincinnati (Ohio) are addressed. Appalachians have the highest school dropout rate in Cincinnati proportionate to their numbers, with low access to jobs and generally poor access to, and use of, public services. Much of the information for this report comes from a survey of 246…

Although American society may never have adequately educated the majority of its immigrants and their children, many who lacked a good education in an earlier era could support families through factory, agricultural, or construction work. Today's jobs require more education. Those with limited English proficiency and literacy skills will be only…

This Kids Count report focuses on the well being of Tennessee's teenagers. The statistical portrait is based on 10 indicators of well being: (1) teen pregnancy; (2) drug abuse; (3) HIV infection; (4) sexually transmitted diseases; (5) high school dropout; (6) scores on the American College Testing Program (ACT); (7) teen employment; (8) school…

Since 1973, families headed by someone younger than 30 years of age have experienced a collapse in the value of their incomes, a surge in poverty, and an erosion of employer-provided health benefits. This report details the deep economic losses among young families with children and warns of consequences from these losses for young and old…

This report looks at recent educational history in West Virginia, particularly in Lincoln County, where school conditions stemming from poverty and politics resulted in the historic 1982 decision by Judge Arthur Recht. The Recht Decision found that the state's public schools failed to meet the "thorough and efficient" standard demanded…

This report documents the planning and development of Families First, an early intervention program to be implemented in Marin City, California. The program has been designed to integrate and coordinate the provision of a wide range of services to families of children from the third trimester of pregnancy to the age of 8 years who live in a…

As provided by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, the Massachusetts State Department of Education (MSDE) has developed this plan to attempt to meet the educational needs of homeless children and to supply them with resources to meet those needs. The plan contains a section delineating federal and state laws and state policies…