Papers from an Equity Study Group are compiled to give a real-world look at an evolving school system. The Equity Study Group was formed by the New York State Board of Regents to investigate how the allocation of resources contributes to the disparity in outcome for New York school children. The following papers are included: (1) "Educational…

Today, over 70 percent of the students of the Providence (Rhode Island) public schools are people of color. The dropout rate in Providence has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, but it remains high, ranked 16th among large cities in 1992. Race and ethnicity are relevant factors in scholastic achievement in Providence, and for that…

A study was conducted to determine the certification requirements in each state for regular and vocational teachers regarding students with disabilities, disadvantages, and minority backgrounds. It also assessed the perceptions of state vocational special needs supervisors concerning the adequacy of their state's certification requirements. Two…

The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation commissioned a survey on environmental attitudes and behaviors of disadvantaged youth in America to identify the critical gaps in environmental education so that resources can be targeted more effectively. Phase 1 consisted of qualitative research among disadvantaged students through…

Faced with alarming dropout rates, educators must find ways to encourage students at risk of dropping out to remain in school. This book describes a variety of prevention programs based on partnerships between universities and local elementary and secondary schools. Among the innovative approaches were combining education and social services in…

A professional family life or youth development educator can function as a mentor to natural community leaders. The most important task of the professional educator may be to make the volunteers aware of how much they know and to encourage them to follow through on their own beliefs. Because of the limited emotional and spiritual energy available…

This handbook is designed to help public school administrators to develop policies and procedures that allow for the appropriate educational placement of preschool children with disabilities in mainstreaming settings. Part I contains background information and materials on legal requirements related to mainstreaming, the efficacy of early…

This handbook, to be used in literacy instruction programs, particularly with women, contains six articles concerning women and literacy written by women in Ontario. The articles are the following: "Feminism and Literacy" (Naomi Garber, Jenny Horsman, and Tracy Westell); "Looking at 'Ism's': Visible Minority Women and Literacy"…

Researchers have investigated whether significant numbers of people can earn their way out of long-term poverty. Statistics show that between 1980 and 1986, the number of District of Columbia residents living in poverty increased by 8 percent. Between 1970 and 1980, the numbers of poor people living in the same area with other poor people…

Tracking and ability grouping are common practices that are often harshly criticized. Both practices group students of similar achievement levels for instruction, but they differ in how this task is accomplished. Elementary schools typically use ability grouping in reading instruction, with instruction targeted to the reading level of each group.…

The National Center for Children in Poverty is developing a series of issue briefs on children and welfare reform to help policymakers, community leaders, and advocates use the opportunities afforded by welfare changes in ways that are most likely to benefit both children and adults. This second issue brief focuses on the impact of federal and…

Research on homeless children and families carried out by the Institute for Children and Poverty over the last 6 years is compiled in this document. The contents range from programmatic solutions and policy recommendations to simple "snapshots" of homeless families. Much of the research is based on the experiences of Homes for the…

The consequences and correlates of growing up poor as well as the mechanisms through which poverty influences children are explored. This book is organized with a primary focus on research findings and a secondary concern with policy implications. The chapters are: (1) "Poor Families, Poor Outcomes: The Well-Being of Children and Youth" (Jeanne…

This paper provides an extensive literary review and presents guidelines and strategies to help school administrators recruit and retain highly effective minority teachers for culturally diverse school districts. The literature review identifies successful teacher recruitment approaches and specific techniques that make these approaches work.…

The Washington Scholarship Fund Pilot Program (WSF) was established as a privately funded voucher program for low-income families in the District of Columbia. The WSF awarded its scholarships by lottery, making it possible to evaluate it as though it were a randomized experiment. The responses of qualified families with children in public schools…