Studies attitudes and perceptions of 122 incoming African-American first-year college students at a predominantly white university in 1989. Comparison of their attrition rates with those of their counterparts in 1984 shows only a marginal decline. Despite initial favorable attitudes, many students did not have a positive first year. (SLD)

A national survey examined state policies for identification of gifted students who are culturally different, economically disadvantaged, disabled, or in some way at risk. Progress was found in the areas of greater public awareness, screening procedures, formal identification processes, and program initiatives. A sidebar describes the Jacob K.…

Examines demographic information on all-white school districts in New York. Surveys perceptions of superintendents in nonminority school districts about the meaning of "minority" and "disadvantaged" and about the impact of a modified social studies curriculum that calls for the inclusion of minority contributions to American…

A number of state supreme courts have decided cases involving challenges to state public school financing. Summarizes the reactions of courts to plaintiffs' proof concerning the negative impact of inadequate funding on the educational opportunities provided to students in poor school districts. (43 references) (MLF)

Presents results of a study of neighborhood effects on educational attainment in Scotland. Reports a significant negative association between deprivation in the home neighborhood and educational attainment. Concludes that policies to alleviate educational disadvantage must focus on social deprivation in the society at large and not just on…

In the Dominican Republic, poverty negatively affects education, including teacher education. Salaries fall, teachers lose prestige, and the quality of teaching candidates drops. The article examines the educational cycle of poverty, describes a K-12 teacher education project, and discusses a vision for the future. (SM)

Discusses High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison study, which was designed to test impact of major methods of curriculum. Three models used differed in degree of initiative expected of child and teacher. Sixty-eight children of 3-15 years were studied. Results showed that child-initiated learning models led to high quality academic results and…

Examines the comparative research on maternal teaching behaviors of minority and low-status families. Offers some exploratory data that reexamines the verbal teaching behavior of Chicana- and Anglo-American mothers while instructing their children to tie their shoelaces. Contrary to earlier studies, the findings support that ethnic differences in…

Ethnographic methods coupled with ethnohistorical documents make it possible to learn far more about 56 street children in Colombia than through logical empiricism alone. Many street children fare better than is the popular perception, and many are part of families that function to bring them to early independence. (SLD)

This article describes the development of a multifaceted evaluation strategy to assess the effects of guaranteed subsidized child care on the subsequent attainment of welfare independence and aggregate welfare expenditures for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Advantages of a multimethod approach are discussed. (SLD)

Research and policy issues highlighted during the National Conference on Health Care for the Poor and Underserved are summarized. Needs were identified in the areas of adolescent health care, education, drug and alcohol education, social services delivery, and societal violence. Recommendations are made for system reform. (SLD)

Examines data from published sources and ethnographic studies that assess the economic situation of Vietnamese refugees in the United States. Evidence suggests that, rather than a success story, the economic status of many Vietnamese refugees is characterized by unstable, minimum-wage employment, welfare dependency, and participation in the…

Parents are being invited to step in to help improve public education, but they enter with neither resources nor power. Real parental involvement requires commitment to organizing parents and restructuring schools, as well as inventing rich versions of diverse educational democracies of difference. Schools must function like meaningful…

Explores implications of defining the primary problems of African Americans as those faced by males, questioning whether this approach places African-American men and women in conflict. Considers how social problems are constructed. Image formation and manipulation of social issues may contribute to the perception of African-American women as…

Challenges identified by T. Bailey (1993) as obstacles to youth apprenticeship programs are accurate but do not justify the turn to alternative approaches he recommends. U.S.-style program can be built to overcome these difficulties if employer-worker collaboration can be fostered and institutional bases can be constructed. (SLD)