Working with communities of color to find solutions to the problems they face is a complex and challenging task. The "It Takes a Village" concept and the Transtheoretical Model of Change (Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente 1994) were used by the authors of this article in their work to empower clients of color to effect in their…

Head Start, the nation's largest early childhood intervention, has enjoyed public and political support. The program has also been haunted by persistent questions about its role in communities, its sustainable impacts, and its quality. This book discusses the past, present, and future of Head Start in the hope of creating better partnerships…

Family socialization is a social mechanism of the reproduction of social inequality from one generation to the next. The argument about the "class-specific socialization," which stopped in the 1970s, is being taken up again with this discussion and developed further towards a theory of socio-structural and situation-specific…

Part of a series of studies designed to lead to policy recommendations to improve mental health services to Mexican Americans in Texas, this monograph explores the availability and accessibility of community mental health centers (CMHCs) throughout the state. In hopes of explaining the underutilization of the centers statewide, the locations of…

Early deprivation causes serious disruption in the development of brain architecture and in the behaviors related to the affected brain functions. Some brain structures, and the broad categories of development that depend on them, show more "plasticity," or sensitivity to disruption and intervention for longer periods of time, than…

This study discusses my attempt to improve educational experiences of fifth-grade students living in public housing. Through reconstruction of my thought processes while teaching and learning with students, the context of social justice-oriented teaching and classroom complexity is revealed. A narrative portrayal emerges demonstrating the impact…

This report presents information on the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program in light of efforts at welfare reform. Following a listing of whom to call at the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) regarding various welfare issues, the report's first section, "Basic Facts on Welfare," presents information on the AFDC in a…

Low-income parents and children unaccustomed to a school environment are made to feel welcome in the Buffalo Public Schools' Parent Center. Parents are guided-through classes, discussions, and take-home computers-to be their children's teachers and to learn the school system well enough to negotiate it to their children's advantage. (CJS)

Sure Start is a Government project that aims to prevent social exclusion by targeting children between 0 and 4 years of age living in areas of social and economic deprivation. This study examined whether a Tier 2 Behaviour Support Service within a local Sure Start project was able to bring about improvements in children's behaviour and the levels…

The transition from high school to adult life is an exciting time for many young people. Youth from high poverty backgrounds, however, are considered at-risk for a host of unfavorable outcomes including academic failure, school dropout, drug abuse, unemployment and incarceration. These adolescents are more likely than their more affluent peers to…

The purpose of "Teach for America," a program modeled after the Peace Corps, was to recruit a cadre of bright college graduates to become uncertified teachers for two years in some of America's toughest schools. This book tracks the successes and failures of the program in its first year and presents the stories of seven idealistic corps…

The Southern Institute on Children and Families is an independent, nonprofit public policy organization founded in 1990 to improve opportunities for children and families in the South with a focus on disadvantaged children. This annual report presents the accomplishments and activities of the organization for 1999. The introductory letter from the…

The Southern Institute on Children and Families is an independent, nonprofit public policy organization founded in 1990 to improve opportunities for children and families in the South with a focus on disadvantaged children. This annual report presents the accomplishments and activities of the organization for 2000. The report begins with…

H. S. Bhola's CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model for planned change was used to improve recruitment techniques at an adult learning center. The model organized data about the target audience, and recruitment increased sharply. A follow-up study to determine why students dropped out of the program concluded that…

Reports on an ethnographic project examining an Australian program designed to provide homeless adolescents with access to secondary education. Focuses on the relationships among groups of students within the program and explores the way that education can either reinforce disadvantage or offer access to opportunity. (MJP)