An evaluation was conducted of Vermont's Welfare Restructuring Project (WRP), one of the earliest statewide welfare reform programs designed to increase work and reduce reliance on welfare. To assess the difference WRP made, parents applying for or receiving cash assistance in Vermont from July 1994 to December 1996 were assigned randomly to one…

This report presents findings about the academic performance of elementary students with limited English proficiency (LEP) who entered first grade in Texas public schools in 1992-93. In general, performance gaps existed between elementary LEP students and non-LEP students, in terms of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) results and…

Research on effectiveness of welfare-to-work approaches shows programs that combine approaches--job search assistance and education and training--have better employment and earnings outcomes than either approach alone. Consistent with findings and the work focus of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, states have…

Argues that the current structure of non-profit child care centers is outmoded, hinders creative leadership, and presents management problems for directors. Presents six illustrations of management problems: (1) shifting constituency; (2) time constraints on board members; (3) short-circuited entrepreneurism; (4) director accountability; (5)…

Addresses the need for teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools to change classroom practice. Examines the disparity between home and school environments, using critical social theory. Describes curriculum negotiation as an active, relevant process, focusing on creating classroom environments that empower students. Discusses the skills…

Examines the conflicting approaches, legal, medical, and educational, to the treatment of deprived and retarded children in the Netherlands around 1900. Although initially in competition, the educational and medical fields soon began a cooperative relationship defined by symbiotic philosophies and institutions. Discusses the development of…

Recounts a lawyer's personal experience teaching high school students from the wrong side of the tracks about the U.S. Constitution as part of a pilot program. Suggests that linking legal issues to students' personal lives. Can inspire as well as inform. (CH)

Charts and graphs present data on changes in fiscal 1996 funding for the Department of Education and other federal agencies, and tables report dollar amounts of fiscal 1995 actual spending, fiscal 1996 estimated expenses, and fiscal 1996 requested aid for student assistance, graduate support, institutional assistance, research, and other purposes.…

Examples from a multiyear project in a Los Angeles (California) school in a low-income Hispanic school district illustrate successes of a program to improve the early reading achievement of Spanish-speaking primary school children. The interplay of research, practice, and school improvement resulted in significant improvement in early Spanish…

Maintains that an overhaul of the public educational system is necessary to meet the needs of all students, including poor and minority students. (BB)

Analyzes concepts of access and success as they relate to educational practice for homeless students, describing a congressional policy shift and barriers to education. A survey of 45 state coordinators and a case study of the Chicago (Illinois) public schools reveal how difficult it is to provide success for homeless students. (SLD)

Notes that homeless children lack many normal requisites for development and learning. Issues facing programs for homeless children in the early years are explored. Well-designed child care and school programs that provide family support can allow children to develop in spite of the turbulence of their lives. (SLD)

Describes a recent movement among business leaders and others to start privately funded voucher programs that enable low-income parents to send their children to religious and other private schools. Covers programs in Indianapolis (Indiana), Milwaukee (Wisconsin), San Antonio (Texas), and Atlanta (Georgia); and notes minority families'…

Reviews studies that defined and measured the effects of quality in early child care and education, and analyzes successful programs to determine common traits. Common characteristics include small class sizes; teacher support for greater teaching effectiveness; long-lasting intervention; ongoing, child-focused communication between home and…

For 2 decades, policymakers have pretended that bureaucratic, state-imposed standards, testing, and sanctions will fundamentally raise all schoolchildren's academic achievement and create productive citizens. The losers have been children of the poor, working class, and undereducated. Policymakers are holding schools and children accountable for…