This study profiles tutoring programs that empower urban youth within the Regional Institute of Tutorial Education (RITE), a community collaborative of universities, youth agencies, community service organizations, and school districts. Representative members of RITE detail how they address shared urban problems of academic deficits, school…

This article is a case study of compensatory education as it was developed and implemented by an innovative urban school principal in the early 1960s. I argue that while the compensatory education movement was often marred by pejorative-sounding language and inegalitarian ideas, especially as it was shaped and expanded by policy makers and…

Schools are trying to do too many good things simultaneously. To improve, they need to simplify, reduce the overload on students and staff, and concentrate on a small group of key ideas. Instituting magnet districts, each with a separate theme, might eliminate confusion in trying out new ideas. (SLD)

"Creating the Dropout" traces the history of school leaving and the concept of the dropout. The dropout was invented, not discovered, only being explicitly recognized after 1960. Inventing the dropout became a way to channel general concerns about the condition of cities, identifying dropouts as authors of their own troubles. (SLD)

The African American population has made remarkable progress since the 1960s, but recent trends may derail the progress of many American blacks. Compared to previous years, United States blacks, who number 30 million in 1991, are more educated, earn higher salaries, work in more prestigious jobs, and participate more fully in politics. However,…

The experience of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools is used to offer a new interpretation of the decline of urban education in the 20th century, and ways are suggested to improve America's schools. Political, social, and financial influences have affected the formulation and development of educational policy in Detroit. The history of the…

Lack of self-esteem is the root of many social problems. The California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility has made several recommendations to promote self-esteem as a social vaccine against the problems besetting minority and urban families. (SLD)

Doing something positive about youth gangs will require hard work, attitude change, and enlisting the help of many people. In addition to the many obvious causes of gangs, there are less well-known factors, such as academic achievement, that are related to youth participation in gangs. Participation in extracurricular activities helps young people…

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 publication presents data and descriptive information on the status of poor children and families in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The analysis of the information suggests that the children are poor because their families are poor and that only providing their families with adequate employment and family supports will lift these children out of the…

This interview with Billy Tidwell, Director of Research at the National Urban League, discusses contemporary issues in education, training, and urban development, beginning with an overview of educational reform. Minority education and the role of the National Urban League are considered in light of social problems that affect the ability to learn…

Examines traditional functions that the family has performed and describes what happens when sizable numbers of families do not fulfill these functions. Presents data on the scope and significance of childhood poverty and declining academic achievement. Explores implications for public policy of links between family change and child development.…

Diverse explanations have been offered for the complex problems facing inner-city families. This paper considers how policies designed to solve urban problems can benefit from research conducted to examine elements from three prominent arguments: (1) family behavior contributes to urban problems; (2) structural changes in the U.S. economy have…

The SUCCESS program of the Des Moines (Iowa) public schools serves children, youth, and families experiencing conditions that put them at risk of not achieving the goals of their educational programs or thriving in their families or communities. SUCCESS integrates community resources within the school system in family resource centers. The…

Progress in civil rights for black Americans does not appear to have been matched, at least in recent years, by equal progress in social harmony. It is argued that a considerable part of present racial difficulties are the result of commonly expressed understandings that are deeply flawed and that these flaws can be corrected only if social…