Examines academic success and retention of first-year students in need of developmental education at a small private university to determine which variables are predictive of academic achievement, retention, and a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Results support other studies that indicate high school performance is the best indicator of success in college.…

Interviews with four Latinos who attended college as a result of college preparation and support from a federal TRIO program yielded several themes: consistent parental support for a college education, low expectations of secondary teachers and guidance counselors, difficult transition to college because of poor secondary preparation, and the…

Discusses how federal policies in educational practice widen the equity gap between privileged and underprivileged students and schools. Using a case study of a North Carolina elementary school, the paper argues that high stakes testing policies of excellence actually worsen conditions of teaching and learning and push imperative principles of…

Longitudinal studies in two countries investigated impact of father absence on girls' early sexual activity (ESA) and teenage pregnancy. Findings indicated that greater exposure to father absence strongly related to elevated ESA and adolescent pregnancy risk. Elevated risk was not explained (U.S. sample) or only partly explained (New Zealand…

Describes the collaborative instruction provided by a special education reading teacher and a speech-language pathologist to disadvantaged high school special education students, most with learning disabilities or mild-to-moderate mental retardation. It discusses teaching issues such as motivation, phonology, language use patterns, and…

Contrasts family and child-care discourse and policies in United States and Denmark, with focus on discourse about the poor, about women and welfare, about single motherhood, and about the role of government in providing for children. Critically analyzes dissolution of U.S. social "safety net" and contrasts it with Danish discourse of…

As Canadian provinces cut funding for education, the shortfall is made up by parent fundraising, donations, or private partnerships. Equitable access to education is undermined because schools with better parent fundraisers, more effective principal wheeler-dealers, and more-advantaged populations have more resources, while disadvantaged children…

Three focus groups examined stress and conflict among 30 older African American women in Boston. Stress stemmed from worries about functional disability, accessing transportation, conflicts with family and peers, and grandchildren's lack of respect. Participants tended to use avoidant strategies to deal with stress and conflict. A training program…

A Scottish national study examined relationships between pupil background characteristics and performance in reading and mathematics at 80 primary and secondary schools. Age within the grade level, gender, and socioeconomic disadvantage had varying effects on achievement in different grades. School-level variations were more marked for primary…

A group of 162 out of 5,400 former Head Start children were identified at the end of third grade as highest achieving and thriving both socially and academically. Families of these children had somewhat more resources on which to call and somewhat fewer stresses. Caretakers of high achievers ascribed to more positive parenting attitudes and were…

Discusses policies concerning adult education which have been designed and carried out in Latin America. Contends that the adult basic education policy does not provide the clientele with better tools to face the challenges of society. Calls for an understanding of the inner rationality of adult education programs. (KO)

A retired professor of English education recalls the challenge her student teachers faced at urban junior high school with reading norms two years below average. The student teachers based their instructional program on the particular characteristics of their students' lives and homes, rather than on formal learning theories, and brought the…

Studies determinants of physician use by low-income children identified through the National Household Survey component of the National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditure Survey. Finds that Medicaid coverage increases access to office-based physicians within the low-income population. Presents health cost and policy implications. (MW)

Presents edited transcript of a conference that examined how computer technology can be effective in helping at-risk students. Highlights include defining at-risk students; examples of how technologies are being used as intervention tools; adult education programs; software; how the industry can help educators; and policy recommendations. (LRW)

The nation will need millions of workers without baccalaureate degrees in the 1990s. Preparing the "forgotten half" for these jobs will require corporate investment in training, improvement of basic skills instruction, better-focused community college curricula, and large-scale programs to upgrade reading and writing skills. (SK)