This collection of papers presents the most recent research on Title I federal compensatory education. Building on 35 years of research, development, and practical experience, the book presents evidence of various ways Title I can become a more effective program and instrument for school reform. The nine papers are: (1) "Title I: Its…

Analyzes data from the "High School and Beyond" survey and presents significant findings concerning the relationship between working and dropping out of high school. Discovers that the type of employment and the student's gender significantly impact the drop out statistics. Discusses previous research and includes statistical and tabular…

Provides an examination of Charles Nisbet's stewardship of Dickinson College in post-revolutionary Pennsylvania. Nisbet's attempts to create a university reflecting the republican ideals of an enlightened aristocracy governing a deferential population met with disastrous resistance from a faculty and student body more aligned with revolutionary…

Describes Continuum of Modeling Reading Methods, which range from those involving considerable reading modeling to those requiring none, to help teachers select strategies to aid struggling readers. Teachers observe students while providing opportunities to hear and see good reading being modeled and identify students' placement on the continuum.…

Argues that the primary reason for Mexican American students' low academic achievement was the agrarian belief system, shared by both Mexicans and Whites, that valued children's labor in the fields more than in the school house. (SM)

Examines the role of early-education research in addressing issues of educational disadvantage and inequality, particularly in light of 1990s politics, which emphasizes the marketplace metaphor. Discusses the culture of achievement and failure, effects of disadvantaged background on young children's understanding of the learning task, teacher…

Discusses methods for using computers to help reduce the drop-out rate. Describes several different programs. Indicates that restructuring the school, early intervention, and parent involvement are key factors towards success. (MVL)

Reports on a study of stressful life events (SLE's) among 1,114 urban Australian children ranging in age from 5-13. Finds that the children reported an average of six such events during their lifetimes. Also finds that children who experienced from 3-8 serious SLE's were rated as less well adjusted on a variety of behavioral measures. (CFR)

Effects of mothers' need for approval on children's expectancies for success and persistence during failure were studied for 90 fifth graders attempting to solve 4 puzzles, 3 of which were unsolvable. Parental and situational variables affect children's achievement cognitions and behavior. Implications for parental socialization of achievement are…

This study examined how 47 student teachers described instructional successes and failures. Interviews identified seven elements of success or failure (student characteristics, implementation, planning, lesson uniqueness, management, student teacher characteristics, and lesson content). Their perceptions of teacher and student role in success or…

Addresses key factors that influence the academic and social performance of minority and at-risk youth, including lack of role models, societal expectations and realities, ineffective practices, and patterns of school organization. The article provides suggestions for what teachers can do and what schools can do through staff development. (SM)

This study examined retention in grades K-8 using data from the 1988 National Education Longitudinal Study. Male, minority, and lower socioeconomic status (SES) students were more likely to be retained. Retention related to less optimal academic and personal-social outcomes, particularly for female, white, and higher SES students. (SM)

Describes a qualitative research project examining homelessness's effects on children's schooling, highlighting a South Carolina intervention program's success. Research disclosed an informal homelessness "caste system," the political unpopularity of providing homeless services, homeless kids' high rates of academic failure and problem…

Argues that the key to helping one seventh-grade boy make the transition from non-reader to reader was in changing his self-image as a non-reader. Shows how he became actively engaged in reading and writing when he felt valued, took risks, and developed his own ideas. Argues for more closely aligning students' lives within school and outside…

Describes the formation of the new "California Reading Initiative" that directly ties school funding to practices such as teaching phonemic awareness and systematic, explicit phonics. Assesses its research base, and discusses problems in teaching Limited-English-Proficient students to read following its directives. Presents research that supports…