The Council on Appalachian Women calls upon the governors of the Appalachian region to provide the leadership necessary for change that will benefit children and adults alike, that will provide access to the needed human services, and that will at the same time preserve the rural nature and the desirable qualities of Appalachian culture. The…

This report by New York's Temporary State Commission on Child Welfare discusses a study conducted to determine why the laws pertaining to freeing and placing children for adoption, and the administrative machinery implementing these laws, have failed, and to recommend remedial action. The report is divided into three major sections. Part I, The…

This position paper explores American under-development in the area of policy formation concerning children and families. Three pressing problems believed to be faced by American children and their parents are presented and discussed. These are: (1) the depopulation of the family, said to be largely attributable to the changes, assumptions, and…

This report, more than a year in the making and informed by over 50 interviews with employers, educators, and local and national policymakers, details both the growing problem of disconnected youth in New York City and what it will take to redirect them toward career-track employment and family-supporting incomes. The centerpiece of this study is…

Over the last generation, parents have felt more and more intimidated by child care "experts" and have increasingly surrendered their role as the primary educators of their children. On the premise that theories of development, often colored by ideological positions on the family and its function in society, should take a back seat to…

Much has been written lately that asks the question--are young people across this country ready for college? The Forum for Youth Investment, Connect for Kids, Voices for America's Children and many state Kids Count organizations have developed this series for state advocates to share the vision, messages and state policies being proposed to…

This commentary explores the relationship between mentoring and after-school, two fields that have garnered significant policy attention and momentum over the past several years. The question is not which makes more sense--mentoring or after-school--but how can we utilize both strategies to increase the likelihood that young people have the…

Service-learning is a teaching method that engages young people in community problem-solving as part of their education, both in school and out-of-school settings. Service-learning has the potential to be a powerful experiential education practices because it not only fosters effective learning, also prepares the next generation for democratic…

This collection of nine pamphlets is intended to increase the general public's awareness about the nature and importance of learning disabilities; to facilitate the access of parents and individuals with learning disabilities to practical information and sources of assistance; to expand access to practical information about existing research…

This paper discusses the role of resource center teachers in helping students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) successfully make the transition to secondary school. It addresses: (1) characteristics of ADD, including academic underachievement, cognitive fatigue, fine motor dysfunction, lack of self-monitoring skills, poorly developed…

This guide offers guidance for mentoring programs and relationships serving gifted and/or talented students from multicultural and/or disadvantaged environments. After an introductory chapter which defines the mentor concept, Chapter 2 considers the mentoring relationship, racial/cultural differences, characteristics of economically disadvantaged…

Designed for Massachusetts health care providers, this booklet provides information on transition planning for adolescents with special health care needs and disabilities. It includes resources and strategies to guide interventions with families and to focus their attention on four key facets of adulthood: health care, education, employment, and…

This booklet focuses on the importance of national implementation of comprehensive, effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) education for students in school, explaining that prevention education is most effective if initiated before students start to engage in risky behaviors and is reinforced from then on. This booklet examines: "The…

This report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child contains observations of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) concerning the application of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child by the nation of South Africa. Noting that the Convention is the only "mainstream" human rights instrument that…

The 10 issues of IDRA Newsletter published in 2000 focus on education in Texas and on national and statewide educational issues concerning minority, low-income, or bilingual students. Feature articles include: "Musical Chairs and Unkept Promises" (reforming education to keep all students "in the game"); "The ENLACE…