Materials and methods of instruction, adequacy of facilities, teacher quality, and motivation are influential factors in the quality of learning. Language and verbal ability are functions determining achievement in all subject areas. A reading and social science curriculum was designed from this perspective, using a previously-developed listening…

This final report describes the fourth year of the New Nursery School Program (NNS) set up for environmentally deprived, Spanish-surnamed 3- and 4-year-old children. The school was organized as an autotelic environment which the children (15 in each of two sessions) attended for 3 hours a day. Upon entering, children were pretested on the Wechsler…

Intending to explore the interaction effects of self-esteem level and perceived program utility on the retention and cognitive achievement of adult basic education students, a self-esteem instrument, to be administered verbally, was constructed with content relevant items developed from and tested on a working class, undereducated, black, adult…

In its annual evaluation of the vocational and technical education program of Maryland, the Maryland Advisory Council on Vocational-Technical Education reviewed the State Plan and statistical record of the Division of Vocational Technical Education (DVE) for fiscal year 1972, and conducted interviews with representatives of DVE. Included in this…

This paper presents general information about Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act on the education of the disadvantaged pertinent to local school districts. From the beginning, the major portion of the Title I program was intended to supplement the education routine provided by local school districts for disadvantaged children. Each…

There has been a serious decline in academic achievement in both the general and special populations and what we have found is that these students are not doing as well as they should be. Less than one-third of American students are doing well in reading, writing, math, science, and other important subjects. The National Assessment of Education…

This report presents the results of an 18-month research project that studied the effectiveness of youth work with vulnerable young people. The research, representing six distinct geographical areas of Scotland characterized by disadvantage, focused on young people aged 13 to 16. In each neighborhood, the project examined the experiences of young…

A study investigated the meaning to participating mothers of their involvement in a family literacy program, the Family Reading Program, based in an elementary school in a low-income urban neighborhood. The Family Reading Program is a workshop series for adult family members. In the program, the adults read interesting children's books and learn…

This book is the outcome of a regional study on using literacy as a tool for empowering the poor, carried out by the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) with collaborative support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The book sketches a program for empowerment of the poor through basic education on the…

A 3-year intervention project focused on preventing substance abuse, violence, gang violence, and truancy among K-12 students at the Chief Leschi School in Tacoma, Washington, a tribally controlled, urban school for high risk and adjudicated Native youth. This paper reports the elementary school results. The Positive Reinforcement in Drug…

Examines and evaluates three approaches used by community colleges to provide academic assistance to educationally underprepared students: offering compensatory programs and services as electives; requiring certain students to participate in skills courses; and offering basic skills instruction as part of regular courses. (DMM)

Educationally disadvantaged college students who were enrolled in an experimental sociology course section did not have significantly different test performance than nonparticipating disadvantaged. Results indicated that significant improvement could be expected of disadvantaged students if they were admitted with a high Scholastic Aptitude…

A study of the effects of an academic support program for educationally disadvantaged, mostly Black engineering students found the interventions were effective in improving academic achievement, particularly when used early in the college experience. Implications for admissions, identification of potentially high-risk students, and intervention…

Five articles review drawbacks of traditional programs for at-risk youth, discuss alternatives based on a new definition of risk, and cite examples of helpful programs. They focus on identifying at-risk youth, providing caring and services, measuring service demand, removing obstacles to learning, and special needs of migrant youth. (SLD)

After a funding-equity victory, there is no guarantee that districts will adopt effective programs to improve student achievement. Programs with the greatest payoff for disadvantaged students include early-childhood programs, one-on-one tutoring, Success for All, James Comer's School Development Program, and extensive staff development. (38…