Outlines the history of the Reverend Jesse Jackson's involvement in urban school reform and focuses particularly on Project PUSH-EXCEL: his positive self-image program for Black children. Reviews negative criticisms that have been made against Jackson but concludes that his efforts are both positive and necessary. (KH)

A collaborative enterprise to provide adult education center programs dissolved due to mismanaged interagency cooperation. Problems included unwillingness to relinquish control, lack of candor, poor selection of partners, lack of planning, failure to implement, and failure to evaluate. (SK)

This Guide is specifically intended for staff in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs, which are funded to provide comprehensive child development services to the children of migrant farm workers from birth through compulsory school age. The authors attempt to navigate the research on first and second language acquisition and…

Early Head Start is a comprehensive, two-generation federal initiative begun in 1995 aimed at enhancing the development of infants and toddlers while strengthening low-income families. This report contains information from the Survey of Early Head Start Programs. Beyond the need for an updated picture of the Early Head Start program, the Survey of…

The federal government recently enacted its first school voucher program as a pilot project in the District of Columbia. To be eligible, students need to be entering grades K-12 and have a family income at or below 185 percent of the poverty level. Although a rigorous analysis of the Opportunity Scholarship Program's impact on student achievement…

The "State ESEA ["Elementary and Secondary Education Act"] Title I Participation Summary Report for 2002-03" summarizes the participation data for the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) program. This program financially assists eligible school districts and schools in providing opportunities for at-risk…

This report explores access to vocational education and training (and university) currently and historically over the past 20 years. It reports that those young people most likely to miss out on vocational education and training include those with disabilities, young people still living at home, children from single-parent families and those…

The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) is an independent foreign assistance agency of the United States government that provides grants to grassroots organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IAF responds to innovative, participatory and sustainable self-help development projects proposed by grassroots groups and supporting organizations,…

This report has describes how the young Indianapolis charter school initiative can claim a number of successes: (1) Many community leaders have stepped forward to spearhead the creation of charter schools, bringing new energy and resources into public education; (2) Parents have flocked to the new schools, lining up on waiting lists and noting…

This report presents an overview of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) Operational Program Reviews (OPRS) conducted at 18 California Community Colleges in the academic year 2001-2002. It sets findings about programs' strengths and weaknesses in the context of the eight EOPS program components: management and coordination,…

In the continuing search for skilled workers, employers are increasingly looking to community colleges as the primary training providers for welfare recipients, unemployed workers, and those seeking to increase skills and improve careers. Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) (North Carolina) provides individuals with the skills and education…

This chapter examines how adolescents' self-concept beliefs are powerfully influenced by frame of reference effects, which involve students comparisons of their ability levels with those of other students in the immediate context as well as assessments of their own ability and academic accomplishments. Noting that academic self-concept is…

A study assessed Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) implementation and effects in Cuyahoga County between 1992-2000. It used field research, surveys and interviews of current and former welfare recipients, state and county welfare and employment records, and indicators of social and economic trends. Findings indicated Cuyahoga County…

The benefits of girls' education include increased family incomes, later marriages, reduced fertility rates, reduced infant and maternal mortality rates, better nourished families, and greater opportunities for women. However, ingrained attitudes towards women are difficult to change. Only when communities believe that the benefits of girls in…

The national literacy movement in the United States can be traced to attempts to educate black former slaves after the Civil War. Prior to that time, most blacks received little education because whites saw no economic need to educate those who served them in menial jobs. The fact that most slaves were denied education provided the impetus for the…