This study examines the processes by which students are assigned to courses in high schools. The data are drawn from a longitudinal study of five inner-city high schools located in an eastern metropolitan area spanning three separate school districts. Each school served a population of students that was overwhelmingly disadvantaged. The schools…

In 1990, the London Enterprise Agency, a private sector consortium dedicated to inner-city regeneration in London, established a project to address homelessness. Later called GATE (Guaranteed Accommodation and Training for Employment), the project had three central features: a focus on employment as a means of tackling homelessness; the use of a…

It is racism that has undermined the War on Poverty declared by Lyndon Johnson, and the country must come to terms with its history of racism if there is to be any hope of accomplishing welfare reform today. American social policy has continually foundered on issues of race. The antipoverty efforts begun by the Johnson administration were never…

This information booklet for parents answers some of the questions parents often ask about their children's participation in basic skills improvement programs. It suggests ways in which parents can support and reinforce the school's role and offers suggestions for parent involvement and ideas for at-home activities to support skill development.…

This report summarizes the 1990-91 State Performance Reports for the Chapter 1 (Education Consolidation and Improvement Act) local education agency (LEA) program and the Chapter 1 State Agency Neglected or Delinquent program. Chapter 1 represents the largest investment in elementary and secondary education of the Federal government. With the…

Reform efforts in the Chicago (Illinois) public schools represent a radical experiment in decentralization. Half of the 411,000 children in the Chicago public schools never graduate and tens of thousands receive diplomas even though they are scarcely able to read, write, or compute. Recognition of the deplorable shape of the city's schools led to…

The influence of informal literacy learning during the preschool years was studied. Preschool teachers in 4 low-income areas read to their classes regularly in an effort to make students enthusiastic about reading. Teachers were also asked to visit families in particular need of help. Three books were sent home with each child twice a week, and…

Parents in the urban and rural disadvantaged areas in Korea are generally so low in educational attainment, schooling, and motivation that they lack the knowledge and skills to stimulate and teach their children. To address the lack of low-cost day care for children under 4 years of age, a home-based care alternative, involving both parent and…

Papers in this collection were commissioned for a conference entitled, "Making a Difference for Students at Risk," to serve as springboards for discussion. Discussions and recommendations from conferees were incorporated into the versions presented in this volume. The two topics that dominated discussion at the conference were: basic…

From 1990 to 1993 PATHS/PRISM worked with five elementary schools and two middle schools in Philadelphia to try to bring about systemic change for schools serving low-income students. This Cluster Initiative attempted to achieve greater coordination of curriculum and instruction, to develop teacher-driven collegial processes, and to revamp school…

The issue of low teacher expectations of students is addressed, bearing in mind that any effort to address low teacher expectations for students that does not address the broader issue of school change will fail. The first section of the monograph explores the relationship between teacher expectations and student achievement. The second section…

This manual provides a detailed outline of the collaborative efforts between the New York City Public Schools, the city's Community School District 6, and community-based partners to develop a community school in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. The community school would be an integral part of the community and contain…

This paper describes and evaluates the Blalock FIRST (Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching) project, a 3-year, federally funded project based in an elementary school that serves mainly female-headed, African-American families who receive government assistance and live in public housing. The Blalock FIRST project seeks to…

This report contains materials from a workshop to provide training in audiovisual materials development for women and other disadvantaged populations, such as slum dwellers, minorities, and migrants. The proceedings section contains an introduction, objective, and summaries of opening, workshop, and other presentations. Chapter 1 provides details…

The Study of Successful Indicators (SIS) project in metropolitan school districts is one study within the Southwest Regional Laboratory's Metropolitan Educational Trends and Research Outcomes (METRO) Center. The mission of METRO is to address schooling issues surrounding the increasing numbers of educationally disadvantaged students in the Pacific…