The following two types of student mobility stand out as causing educational problems: (1) inner-city mobility, which is prompted largely by fluctuations in the job market; and (2) intra-city mobility, which is caused by upward mobility or by poverty and homelessness. Most research indicates that high mobility negatively affects student…

Legislatures and courts have attempted to create equitable formulas for school finance. However, these formulas may have negative effects on educational opportunities for urban students. Comparisons of the per-pupil expenditures of large urban school districts, such as New York, with nearby suburban districts and state-wide averages disclose…

This digest examines features of both process and impact evaluations to help officials of youth programs assess the programs for which they are responsible. With proper planning, evaluation can be part of a program without having to compete for attention and resources with the services the program is trying to provide. A process evaluation…

The New York City Citizens' Commission on Planning for Enrollment Growth submitted a report on overcrowding in New York City schools that may serve as a guide to other cities striving to provide an effective education for ever-increasing numbers of students. Research on the impact of school overcrowding has been inconclusive, but there is some…

This monograph looks at the field of youth service broadly and provides examples of the range of programs available for urban youth. A review of statistics on urban youth involvement nationally notes that most young people are not involved in community service, African American students perform more community service annually than any other racial…

This digest discusses some of the major trends and changes that are taking place in school desegregation in the 1990s. One of the most prominent current trends is the increasing number of court cases that release school districts from court supervision of their desegregation efforts (known as granting "unitary" status). A second…

Rather than viewing youth as an isolated and alienated subculture, it is more useful to view the needs of youth as largely determined by where and how they live, and to recognize that they differ from one another just as adults do. Professionals and volunteers in community youth programs need to understand how the youth they work with experience…

Senior, high quality teachers can be retained in inner city schools despite limited resources and difficult conditions. Compared to teachers in suburban and rural school districts, teachers in urban systems often have lower salaries, work under greater bureaucratic constraints, teach more students per day, and lack basic materials. Good,…

This ERIC Digest reviews research data on young urban, low income, and often minority parents and their involvement in schooling for themselves and their children. A look at the demographics of this subgroup shows that families headed by single teenage mothers comprise the fastest growing category of family groups, particularly among African…