Recent social policy discourses in Aotearoa New Zealand focus on vulnerable children's well-being and the detrimental, long-term and costly impacts of child poverty. The discourse pervading much of the policy labels children and young people as "vulnerable" or "at risk" or "in crisis", a view, which we argue, is both…

The first thing many learn about international poverty measurement is that European nations apply a "relative" poverty threshold and that they also do a better job of reducing poverty. Unlike the European model, the "absolute" U.S. poverty threshold does not increase in real value when the nation's standard of living rises,…

This contribution suggests that if we are serious about adult education in the context of poverty eradication we require some shifts away from neo-liberal assumptions and values. Women and/in the informal economy should become the central focus, and livelihood studies would better allow us to understand the complex daily struggle for food and the…

This report is one of a series of papers presented to encourage discussion on the evaluation of important development issues. The recent emphasis within the Agency for International Development (AID) on knowing the impacts of development assistance, particularly the benefit incidence of projects and programs, makes it important to look at the…

Focuses on political misrule through the use of statistics. It examines the defining of political events in this century and the reasons for the rise of the statistics-oriented, problem-solving state which, it is argued, has had adverse affects on social programs and antipoverty policies and has created a misunderstanding of the prevalence of…

This article considers the proposed federal Youth Education and Employment Initiative which targets federal funds to those high schools with the lowest achievement and highest poverty levels, to help build work experience programs and to upgrade student skills. New Jersey Education Association recommendations on secondary curriculum improvement…

Describes the history and current status of the Head Start Program, which provides early basic education augmented with health check-ups and a daily hot meal. Suggests that the program should be expanded to serve all who are eligible for it, provide more full-day services, and assist children younger than age five. (MAB)

Discusses the Christian "option for the poor," which challenges individuals to offer both direct service to those suffering from economic poverty and indirect service aimed at the transformation of attitudes and structures that perpetuate poverty. Emphasizes Catholic education's role in realizing these goals. (YKH)

Discusses changes in British attitudes toward education from emphasizing social engineering and an equal right to education to a cost-effective approach. Sets out educational goals of independence and the ability to do useful work and to enjoy life by participating in it. Discusses special needs students and the safety net for children from poor…

The problems facing low-income families headed by women and some current and planned Ford Foundation responses are discussed in this paper. The first section presents a general overview of the problem, with special focus on nonpayment of child support and teenage pregnancy. The debate over the Federal welfare program and other attempts to use…

Continuing erosion of the structure of low-income families perpetuates a vicious cycle of moral and economic troubles--poverty, drug and alcohol dependency, out-of-wedlock births, child and spouse abuse, juvenile delinquency, and crime--that feed on and create more impaired families. Accordingly, this report contends that the major portion of the…

This report describes problems West Virginia State has experienced in serving children, especially those in poverty-stricken areas, and recommends ways to overcome these problems. In confronting these issues, the task force made recommendations in four topic areas: Reorganization and System Change, Education and Child Care, Teen Pregnancy, and…

The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness and understanding of the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Program. The Academic Senate holds the view that welfare reform that focuses on "work first" tends to push participants into below-subsistence-level jobs and eclipses an emphasis on long-term…