Argues that the cumulative effect of early non-school related influences indicates that concentrating too heavily on school intervention may perpetuate the schools' ineffectiveness and reduce the possibility that school intervention will effect the child's academic achievement or development of skills needed to break the poverty cycle. (Author/JM)

This digest presents a description of three innovative interventions designed to support student literacy acquisition outside the classroom in low resource communities. It begins with a discussion of literacy related issues in low resource environments, noting that an increasing number of children who are not acquiring a basic education live in…

Describes the One to One program, which mobilizes communities to support mentoring, pioneers new mentoring approaches, and leverages resources by taking a business approach; leveraging support from diverse sectors; creating a partnership of catalysts; capitalizing on diversity; helping communities think and achieve big; reaching hard-to-reach…

As part of a continuing debate on the effectiveness of educational interventions among disadvantaged groups, this article reports the results of an empirical study of 1,567 pupils from the first and sixth grades, attending 20 primary schools in disadvantaged areas of Montreal, Canada. Assesses the effects of using teachers as "resource…

Due to milieu deficiencies and psychosocial handicaps, some groups are caught in a spiral of poverty, and experience serious obstruction to optimal self-actualization and the achievement of satisfactory quality of life. Article describes the problems of educating milieu-deprived students in the Republic of South Africa, as well as the implications…

Used an ecological-system perspective to consider socially isolated children in three contexts: as individuals, as partners in dyadic intervention, and as members of a social group or hierarchy. Implications for interventions that may facilitate isolated children's access to peer interaction in both dyadic and group contexts are suggested.…

Offers a framework for the analysis and evaluation of actions taken on behalf of children upon their environment. Examines defining suitable child development outcomes for intervention programs. Discusses poverty and prejudice, two examples of environmental conditions that threaten children's development. Summarizes the characteristics of a…

The article highlights literature on parent-infant programing, with particular emphasis on the role of parents, a direct and positive relationship between the gains achieved by very young hearing impaired children, and the extent to which their parents were taught to participate in their early education. (Author/MC)

Research relevant to planning and practice in the area of infant mental health is discussed in this paper. First, three examples of research approaches that reflect current attitudes are given. The first example represents those studies in which there is an effort to closely coordinate physiological and behavioral studies. The second example…

The research reported here was supported by funds granted under the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act. Part 1, "Theoretical Vantage Points," includes discussions of economic disadvantagement, the culture of poverty, and poverty versus equality of opportunity. Part two, "Socialization and Learning," includes a discussion of the transmission of…

Contents of this study include the following essays: (1) "Economic Considerations of Poverty," Harry Lacombe; (2) "Physical Growth and Development: Some Socioeconomic Factors During Prenatal and Postnatal Life," Geoffrey C. Robinson, (3) "Language, Cognition and Poverty," Alan R. Moffit; (4) "Personality…

Results of the first 6 months of the Ypsilanti-Carnegie Infant Education Project are provided, including quantitative data and a case study, a discussion of the curriculum employed in the home and illustration of curriculum practices, and research design changes. The purpose of the project is to assess the effectiveness of systematic intervention…

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…

Contents of this book include the following papers, followed by discussion and comment: "Malnutrition and Animal Behavior," David A. Levitsky and Richard H. Barnes; "Malnutrition in Infants," Henry N. Ricciuti; "Nutrition and the Community," David J. Kallen; "A Methodological Note: The Development of Visual Attention in Infants," A. C.…

Israeli kindergarten children were ranked on an advantaged-disadvantaged scale, and parent child- rearing attitudes were measured by means of a questionnaire. A strong positive relationship was found between rigid parental attitudes and disadvantaged rankings. Parent attitudes correlated with sociocultural factors, educational level, and national…