By providing early access to education, early childhood and community-based programs are helping to close the achievement gap prevalent among children from impoverished homes.

As global demands for workers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields persist, there are increased opportunities for historically underrepresented African-American and Latino youth to fill STEM career pipelines. African-American and Latino youth have long faced disproportionately high unemployment rates. Joblessness has been…

New York State's families, especially economically disadvantaged families, have a pressing need for available, accessible, affordable, quality child care. Recommendations to the New York State Legislature for providing such care are grouped according to the following principles: (1) all families should have access to child care services; (2) the…

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) of New York State provides grants to institutions of higher learning for the recruitment and education of economically and educationally disadvantaged students who, though not admissible by traditional criteria, have potential for successfully completing a college degree program. This report…

This issue of WIN (Welfare Information Network) Issue Notes focuses on helping low-income mothers with criminal records achieve self-sufficiency. Section 1 offers background. Section 2 answers these policy questions: why states might want to focus on serving low-income mothers with criminal records; how states can encourage employers to hire…

State and local program efforts for delivering coordinated services in adult education were investigated. This report presents findings from phase 2 of a two-phase study of federal funding sources and services for adult education. Site visits were made to five states during 1989-1991 to examine the coordination activities that were carried out…

In 2001, a decision by the New York State Supreme Court in a landmark school funding case, Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE), Inc. v. State of New York, declared the current New York state funding system unconstitutional and ordered the legislature to replace it with a new cost-based system that ensures that every school district has sufficient…

As discussed in several addresses at a New York State Board of Regents symposium, the task of continuing education in New York State includes adult basic education, job training, and other forms of involvement by educators and other segments of society in efforts to enable individuals, communities, and organizations to function effectively in a…

A guide is presented on the Higher Education Opportunity Program, which provides supportive services and financial aid to New York State residents attending independent colleges and universities in New York State. Eligibility requirements and specific economic eligibility guidelines are presented. A brief description is provided of the following…

A study reviewed selected aspects of the State University of New York's (SUNY) Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) program from April 1, 1988, through January 31, 1992. Objectives were to evaluate program cost and effectiveness and level of involvement of SUNY Central Administration's Office of Special Programs and sponsoring college officials in…

Guidelines are presented for New York's prekindergarten program for 4-year-old children from economically disadvantaged families, which is intended to provide the young child with a comfortable, secure, and inviting transition from home to school. Eligible providers are public school districts and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, who…

This paper describes state, institutional, and other community-based programs deemed exemplary (on the basis of design imperatives) for successful interventions to promote meaningful access of minority group youth to postsecondary education. The imperatives include early intervention, comprehensive and integrated intervention, intervention…

Executive and legislative branches of the New York State government have made consistent efforts to address the dropout problem, which is particularly acute in urban schools, through new initiatives and increased funding. State aid programs are summarized, and suggestions for improvement are provided. (SLD)

New York State's New Ventures program, a comprehensive 21- to 24-week career exploration and job skills training program to help low-income women prepare for economic self-sufficiency through employment in higher-paying nontraditional occupations, was evaluated through a 5-year formative outcomes-based evaluation process. Program data (including…

This report reviews the activities of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) for disadvantaged students at the independent colleges and universities of New York State. HEOP provides supportive services to eligible students, including pre-freshman summer work; remedial, developmental, and supportive courses; tutoring; and counseling. HEOP…