Specific demographic changes that occurred in the New York City metropolitan area during the 1980s are described, and the challenges and opportunities facing the city in the 1990s are explored. The 1980s saw the greatest increase in the diversity of the city in its history, but sharp inequality, running along racial and ethnic lines, persists in…

As part of a continuing evaluation of the Swedish school system, changes in intelligence test scores from 1960 to 1995 were studied in relation to cohort, gender, and socioeconomic background. Changes in verbal, spatial, and reasoning ability were studied by comparing results on identical tests given to representative samples of Swedish…

This federally-funded study examined the effect of two early intervention settings on the social behaviors and development of 46 toddler-aged children with disabilities in Connecticut. The toddlers received early intervention services in natural group environments in the community or segregated center-based programs servicing only children with…

This book discusses the demographic, cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and educational characteristics of Hispanic children and youth. Chapters cover: (1) historical and demographic overview (history of Hispanic presence in the United States, geographic distribution, population size and growth, migration, social and cultural patterns, parent…

Since the mid-1960s, some affluent white schools, both public and private, have made efforts to welcome low-income students of color into their student bodies. However, studies of these efforts have usually ignored the complex and deep ambivalence experienced by many young people of color in white middle-class institutions. This paper attempts to…

This paper reports on a 12-week study of 131 students in eight fourth-grade social studies classrooms in two elementary schools in the southwestern United States with low socioeconomic, high minority populations. Although research has indicated that cooperative learning enhances student achievement, promotes self-esteem, and improves interpersonal…

Public school expenditure differentials are especially of interest as they relate to children in particular categories of historical concern, such as minority status, poverty, and other at-risk factors. This report addresses school finance policy through the analysis of school district revenue and expenditure data from the 1990 Survey of Local…

According to March 1991 Current Population Survey data, 64 percent of young workers in Pennsylvania aged 15-39 have no more than a high school education. Pennsylvania is at some competitive economic development disadvantage compared to the national young adult labor force because of its lower share of more educated young workers with advanced…

Research suggests that successful staff development must attend to teachers' affective and humanistic needs. This paper presents strategies for staff development that are based in an affective and humanistic context. The following principles of adult learning are particularly relevant to teacher-staff development: Adults perceive themselves as…

This paper describes the context of education at two Appalachian middle schools and examines family, community, and school factors related to the academic success of economically disadvantaged and middle-class students. The 429 students at two rural middle schools in Appalachian Kentucky and Tennessee were assigned to low socioeconomic status…

The ecological perspective suggests that distal socioeconomic status (SES) actually affects young children via the more proximate influences of parental beliefs and the quality of their home environments. A diverse sample of 189 kindergarten children, their families, and their schools provided data on SES indices, parental beliefs, the quality of…

Logistic regression analyses were employed using a nationally representative sample of high school seniors to determine how student, socioeconomic status, home environment, community, and school variables relate to academic talent. Students identified as talented scored at or above the 95th percentile on a composite academic achievement test.…

This report presents the results of the largest survey and testing program for students in home schools to date. In Spring 1998, 20,760 K-12 home school students in 11,930 families were administered either the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) or the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP), depending on their current grade. The parents…

This study explores, from a critical-theory perspective, the relationship of power among stakeholders in either a mandated or voluntary elementary-school-site decision-making body (SSDMB). The purpose is to describe, explain, and clarify complexities regarding the influence exerted by parents on the decision-making process in two selected…

This study was conducted to gather more definitive information about aliens who were newly legalized under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Two groups of eligible legal aliens were interviewed in Florida: those residing in the United States before 1982 (PRE-82s) and special agricultural workers (SAWs). The 1,300 subjects were asked…