A study examined barriers to employment for rural Michigan residents, especially during an economic boom. Four focus groups conducted in four nonmetropolitan growth counties in Michigan indicated that educated, skilled workers were seeking to enter the labor force or to work more hours, even though community leaders, newspapers, and job developers…

This collection of papers reveals the systemic violence, poverty, educational neglect, and social disregard that shape the lives of poor children in the United States. After an introduction, "Savage Policies: Systemic Violence and the Lives of Children" (Valerie Polakow), there are eight chapters: (1) "A Crucible of Contradictions:…

This paper discusses the need to build instructional capacity in high poverty, low performing schools using Title I funding and integrate the corresponding federal policy requirements with state teacher education policies to allow states and districts to develop locally designed partnerships with alternative certification agencies. It recommends…

The Working Poor Project is a joint activity of the Chicago Urban League, the Latino Institute, and Northern Illinois University. Its purpose is to study the nature, extent, and impact of working poverty in seven counties in the Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. Phase I of this project developed a statistical profile of the area's working poor…

This paper reports the results of a management study of the effectiveness of middle schools in a large, urban, midwestern public school system. Results of the study illustrate the conundrum that all educational reforms are not complementary, i.e., they are at cross-purposes because they are designed to obtain different outcomes. The two reform…

This issue focuses on a variety of performance measurement and outcome data resources as they relate to evaluating service delivery performance in areas that include employment (welfare-to-work and performance bonuses for work participation) and child welfare, as well as some general Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program areas. It also…

A model is proposed to project optimal school psychology service ratios based upon the percentages of at risk students enrolled within a given school population. Using the standard 1:1,000 service ratio advocated by The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) as a starting point, ratios are then adjusted based upon the size of three…

The 11 chapters in this text address issues concerned with identification and educational intervention with gifted students who are from culturally diverse backgrounds. Chapters have the following titles and authors: (1) "The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse School Population in the United States" (Angela Reyes-Carrasquillo); (2) "Culturally…

A qualitative study examined how formal and informal social and cultural learning for political action was incorporated into two women's organizations in Colombia: the Association of Daycare Mothers and the Community Mothers. Research was guided by the historic hermeneutic method, which identifies experience through the narrative testimonies of…

Coordination between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-related programs and Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)'s one-stop centers increased since spring 2000, when WIA was first implemented. Nearly all states reported some coordination between the programs at either the state or the local level. Most often, coordination took one…

Education has become one of the most important issues in American society, often dominating the political landscape in response to lagging academic achievement and persistent gaps in performance between advantaged and disadvantaged children. In response, a variety of educational reforms have been implemented ranging from increased accountability…

How one public school used its diversity to foster community, while protecting itself from exclusivity, was studied. This study challenges the assumption that a community-like ethos is impossible in an urban neighborhood public school that has no special admissions requirements. Case study methodology, with almost 250 hours of observation of…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) has been involved in year-round education for 5 years. In 1995-96, 11 elementary schools and 1 middle school had adopted the year-round plan. In all schools, the plan is a single-track plan, so that all students and all teachers have the same schedule, in which students are in school for…

In 1997, the report of the National Library of Education advisory Task Force called for creation of an education information network. Such a network would provide resources to all potential users, young and old, male and female, throughout the United States. With the call to create a United States Educational Information Network (USEIN) has come…

This theme issue includes six articles about nurturing parent and community involvement in schools, particularly schools serving Hispanic, immigrant, or economically disadvantaged students. "Thinking about Learning: The Community and Academic Standards" (Oanh H. Maroney, Aurelio M. Montemayor) describes a Corpus Christi (Texas) project…