Improving education outcomes is vital for achieving convergence with GDP per capita levels in Western European countries and for reducing income inequality. While some education outcomes are favourable, such as the low secondary-school drop-out rate, others have room for improvement: education achievement is below the OECD average and strongly…

This White Paper summarizes findings from an extensive literature review that was conducted to identify the most promising models and approaches for meeting the needs of low-income children, youth, and families during the summer months. Special attention is paid to summer learning programs that serve diverse, urban low-income children and youth.…

School districts receiving Chapter 1 funds are to conduct a study of sustained effects once every 3 years and to use the results for planning future Chapter 1 programs. As part of this effort, the Columbus (Ohio) public schools conducted pretest-to-posttest, posttest-to-sustained effect, and pretest-to-sustained effect studies of 4,031 students in…

Over the past 2 decades, the inflation-adjusted median weekly earnings of full-time employed males and females decreased by 31% and 13%, respectively, and the deterioration in the real weekly earnings of young adults (ages 18-24) shows no signs of abatement. Male high school dropouts and graduates with no postsecondary schooling experienced the…

The report describes the Center for Education, Diversity, & Excellence (CREDE), a national research and development center operated cooperatively by the University of California, Santa Cruz and the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students. CREDE's…

This KIDS COUNT data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of New Jersey's children. The report begins with general state facts, state trends in child well-being for the years 1993 through 1995, county quartile rankings for 1995, and county composite rankings for the years 1993 through 1995. The bulk of the report provides data in two…

Midlife and older women are at an economic disadvantage relative to their male counterparts and younger women. Older women should be served by the nation's employment, training, and vocational programs. Interviews with participants and operators of employment and training programs identified six program components needed to serve older women: (1)…

The Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects (YIEPP) demonstration was a large-scale test of a school-conditioning guaranteed jobs program for teenagers from low-income families. Unlike previous youth employment programs, the YIEPP linked school and work by offering jobs to all youth who met the eligibility criteria and who also agreed to remain…

This report examines preschool and early primary education in the Chicago (Illinois) public schools, and its impact on disadvantaged minority children. Statistical data were gathered by a survey of 196 kindergarten teachers. For comparison, the survey was also sent to kindergarten teachers in Wilmette (Illinois), a Chicago suburb. Part 1,…

This guide is designed to help elementary teachers to incorporate career education into their classrooms. It contains background information about career education as well as suggested activities to use with the children. The guide is organized into five chapters. Each chapter contains information about career education topics, a summary, and…

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at New York University (NYU), which serves economically and educationally disadvantaged residents of New York State, is described. The HEOP provides supportive services, including a pre-freshman summer session, credit and noncredit courses in basic skills, individual tutoring, and personal and…

This paper examines the relationship between Paulo Friere's philosophy and methodology in "Pedagogy of the Opressed" and the use of simulation games for consciousness raising. Friere suggests that the supposed insurmountable barriers facing oppressed peoples are as much a product of their perceptions as they are of the oppressor. The…

The Mountain-Plains Education & Economic Development Program, which exemplifies the comprehensive, residential family-centered approach to serving the economically disadvantaged, was compared to four similar programs in the United States: Arizona Job Colleges (AJC) in Arizona; Madera Employment Training Center (METC) in California; Manpower,…

In the 1990s, the nation's educational focus turned to troubled schools in the nation's poorest cities. Under the leadership of Luther Williams, then Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Urban Systemic Initiative was created to improve the teaching and learning of science and mathematics. Recognizing that high-needs…

Income replacement and reemployment programs in Michigan and its neighboring states were examined in the context of recent changes in federal policy regarding compensation and services for individuals who have lost their jobs or sustained job-related injuries. The analysis focused primarily on the following programs: (1) Unemployment Insurance…