Recommends including essay questions on state economics examinations to prevent misclassification of students. Briefly reviews the literature arguing that certain groups of students do poorly on multiple choice tests. Discusses California's experience with adopting a combined-format type test. (MJP)

Presents an interview with Walter Turnbull, founder and conductor of Boys Choir of Harlem (New York). Turnbull discusses the origins of the choir and the positive affects it has had on its many participants. He also discusses the role of music in arts education and the importance of the arts in the curriculum. (MJP)

Two cases of planned curriculum change are examined to illustrate the limits and possibilities of curriculum reform. One case used upgraded mathematics curriculum for low achieving, urban, U.S. secondary students. The other examined a national curricular reform in Scotland where secondary curricula and national examinations were closely aligned.…

Identifies relative deprivation as a subjective feeling of discontent based on a belief that one is getting less than one feels entitled to. Investigates the relationship between relative deprivation, ethnic identification, and racial attitudes in South Africa. Discusses the connections between these beliefs and recent sociopolitical changes. (MJP)

Reports on 1,000 African American and 260 Latino third-graders' perceptions of school climate. Findings show African American children viewed teacher-child relations as the most important dimension of school climate. Latino children stressed teacher fairness, caring, and praise for effort as well as the importance of moral order. Both groups…

Describes a simple in-class exercise that reveals some flaws in capitalist, individualistic-oriented ideology by following specific assumptions to their logical conclusion. Poses the question, if drive and ambition are sole determinants of success could society accommodate a population where everyone possessed those qualities? (MJP)

Students in middle grades have been neglected in education reform initiatives of the 1980s, yet outcomes for early adolescents have profound implications for society and the economy. Stressing the importance of higher order thinking and the dangers of risk-taking behaviors, this article urges increased middle grade intervention and reform. (AF)

Presents a case study of the impact of school-based development planning on a small, disadvantaged rural elementary school in New South Wales. Although this collaborative approach increased parent participation and ownership in the school, more demands were placed on staff, particularly the teaching principal. Additional resources are essential…

Advocates that mathematics education reform in urban schools cannot happen without socioeconomic efforts to lessen poverty in inner cities and protect urban America's youth. The paper argues that the most successful reform initiatives will be holistic in nature and that the covert racism and ethnocentrism in educational materials that…

Research reveals an apparent disadvantage in rural child care that should be explored in terms of the links between child care and public school transition; patterns of child-care choice and utilization among rural families; and ecological relationships among families, child-care providers, schools, and communities in the rural setting. Contains…

Demonstrates that in two areas of concentrated poverty in Columbus (Ohio), so-called underclass behaviors are not associated with race. A study of neighborhood poverty and political participation in those areas is used to show that whites and African Americans exhibit statistically indistinguishable and substantively similar levels of such…

Discusses ways of reducing violence in America involving the integration of scientific approaches and youth violence intervention and community programs that address both family and social environments. The paper argues that these efforts exemplify the notion that violence is more a product of racism and poverty than of race. (GR)

Measured physical and cognitive development of 7- to 10-year-old Brazilian children in 3 social groups. Domestic servants' children were taller and heavier than children in slums, and shorter than middle-class children. Domestic servants' sons scored similar to slum-dwelling boys on cognitive measures. (BC)

Reviews the ideas of C. G. Woodson (1875-1950) about the inappropriate education received by African Americans. Although Woodson's book, "The Mis-Education of the Negro," was written in 1933, his diagnosis of the state of the African-American community appears to hold up well today. (SLD)

The current tripartite system of human services delivery (education, health, and social services) is unable to deal with children with multiple problems in an effective, coordinated way due to fragmentation, specialization, and complexity. Reorganizing the current system by linking or integrating services could provide many advantages, as…