Five papers which criticize Charles Murray's book, "Losing Ground: American Social Policy 1950-1980" are presented in this report. In general, the papers dispute Murray's thesis that the poor did not benefit from social policies but were, instead, substantially harmed by these programs. The papers (and their authors) are: (1)…

An evaluation was conducted of the effectiveness of the 12 LULAC [League of United Latin American Citizens] National Education Service Centers, Inc. (LNESC), which assist Hispanic and other educationally deprived students in pursuing post-secondary education. The evaluation focused on three LNESC objectives: (1) to increase the number of persons…

A 1965 summer training program for 90 VISTA volunteers at Monte Vista, Colorado, is described and evaluated in this report. The program was designed to prepare VISTA trainees to work in poverty areas by providing individual helping services and by planning and organizing community action. The trainees lived and worked in Monte Vista, a small…

Authored by a political scientist, the study focuses on the impact of two alternative policies, "political strategy" and "service strategy," designed to deal with the problem of poverty in American society. The central concern is the effect of the policies on the poor. The service strategy assumes that the poor differ from the…

The New Careers concept involves helping the disadvantaged to help themselves by offering them entry level jobs with the opportunity for training and advancement. New Careers provides the means to upgrade from entry level to professional occupations, with time made available during the work day for the education and training necessary for…

Dealing with an analysis and evaluation of community action programs (provided for by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964) in Appalachia, this report presents 3 conditions for program success: (1) adequate community action leadership at the local level; (2) power holders at the community, county, or "local" level who are sympathetic, or…

This report evaluates the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) of the Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture. About 184,000 low-income families participated in the program prior to October 1969. A national sample of 10,500 showed that family incomes were very low--less than 2,700 dollars, of which more than a third was…

This book provides background for evaluating public policy choices in the area of welfare reform. Although it focuses on Missouri's Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program, it incorporates and compares national data and it raises the same fundamental questions about the fate of welfare in the United States. The eight chapters of the book…

Discusses the Clinton Administration's proposed overhaul of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), designed to assist the nation's poor and disadvantaged students. The new ESEA should set high standards for all children; focus on teaching and learning; stimulate local initiatives; reconnect schools, parents, and communities; and target…

This is a report on the Symposium that accompanied the 15-16 May, 2007 meeting of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education. The IATT Symposium provided an opportunity to address in some detail two selected problems that are critical to stemming the advance of HIV infection--areas that have had some attention, but remain insufficiently…

This paper examines the status of social welfare programs in the United States and recent efforts to reform such programs. It proposes key issues that need to be addressed in any attempt to overhaul the federal welfare system. Welfare reform should ensure that: (1) those families on public assistance are able to meet their basic needs in order to…

This paper analyzes the Bush Administration's budget request for homelessness programs, and argues that it promised little to alleviate the suffering of homeless people. The paper asserts that the proposal is the weakest in years, with overall spending down by 7 percent when adjusted for inflation. Programs hardest hit are new funding to increase…

This report proposes amendments to H.R. 4421, a bill that authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1987 to 1990 to carry out the following programs: (1) Head Start, for disadvantaged preschoolers; (2) Follow Through, for disadvantaged elementary school students; (3) State Grants for Dependent Care, for child care programs; (4) Community Services…

Chapter 1, the Federal program of grants to local education agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children, authorizes the distribution of assistance through both a basic and a concentration grant formula. Concentration grants are intended to provide additional assistance to areas with especially high numbers or proportions of…

This book contains seven papers prepared for a 1975 conference which addressed the progress and setbacks experienced during the first decade of the War on Poverty. Included with each paper are two commentaries by conference discussants. The seven papers deal with issues such as the origins of the War on Poverty, its education, health, and…