This is Part I of an article published in two parts, and deals with a multiplicity of factors which reduce the quality of living. The author feels that major causes of failure to learn are social, political and economic. (Author)

Presents a conceptual framework that incorporates the notion of relative deprivation to explain the perceived financial adequacy among the elderly. Financial satisfaction is directly related to relative deprivation while income only indirectly affects one's sense of financial well-being. (Author)

Uses existing data to investigate differences in the rate that schools improved General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination results from 1991-98. Finds two variables impacted examination improvement: (1) low concentration of social disadvantage relative to other local schools; and (2) starting from a low base level of GCSE…

Examines qualitative data from three case-study schools to illuminate barriers to responsiveness facing socially disadvantaged schools and impeding school improvement. Highlights cumulative impact of contextual influences, which interact with internal school factors, particularly that of local school hierarchies and processes of labelling that…

Critical evaluation of Leila Berg's book on Risinghill, a controversial London secondary school, suggests that her depiction of the headteacher's struggle against the London County Council emphasizes a deprivationist discourse that distorts the reality of the school and its neighborhood. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Investigates the behavioral development of 157 children of 7-15 years who were reared in children's villages. Results indicate that the proportion of behavior problems of children reared in monoparental foster care is equivalent to those of children reared in working-class families. (RJC)

Investigated responses of 45 at-risk children of 6 months to a novel learning task. Results suggest that tasks measured in infancy are related to later functioning on standard assessment tests for children reared in less than optimal environments. (RJC)

"Star" urban teachers are driven by the desire to develop good people. Their undergirding ideology is high expectations for low-income students, and they see their role as fundamentally different from that of other teachers. (SK)

Describes the Ten-Schools Program (TSP) in Los Angeles (California). Among the features described are academic goals, staff development, an extended school year, parental involvement, extensive attention to oral and written language, and special counseling services. (EVL)

Article reviews current information about the developmental pathways of risk and resilience and examines the potential for school-based prevention/intervention programs to foster resilience and ameliorate risk. Implications for the delivery of educational and mental health services in schools using this knowledge are discussed. (Author/JDM)

Used longitudinal Denver Youth Survey data to examine repeat victimization and concentration of victimization among a relatively few high-frequency victims and intermittency of victimization in a sample of adolescents in a high-risk neighborhood. Chronic, multiple, intermittent victimization was the usual pattern among respondents. Men had higher…

Childhood environment and skills are important factors that contribute to the achievement gap of students, but blaming only the preschool years for low achievement will not solve the problem. Ample funding of schools and transformative power of teachers and peers can rid the student of the gap.

What can you expect from a school in an area of high crime where 50 percent of the pupils take free school meals and which operates on a site that cannot be accessed from its main catchment area? In this article, the author shares his experience when he visited Challenge College. A low wall separates Challenge College from the area where most of…

While California has made substantial progress in easing its teacher shortage and reducing the concentration of the least prepared teachers in the lowest achieving schools, the effort to strengthen schools for all students is hampered by the large number of teachers who leave the profession prematurely. Policymakers at the state and local levels…