Describes insights gleaned from informal conversations with 27 parents actively involved in their children's schooling. Stereotypes do not apply. Although wealthier white parents receive more encouragement to participate in decision making and school-related activities, they sometimes support working- class/minority causes and favor school…

Examines issues arising from Careers Service refocusing its work with the 'disaffected' in the UK, with particular attention to preventive work with the under 16s as a new direction for careers practitioners. Discusses the extent to which 'inclusion' is likely to be achieved via enhanced guidance. Suggests that guidance is ineffective if it fails…

This article focuses on women students' perceptions of and responses to the presence of men in a Women's Studies (WS) classroom. Like other feminist scholars (Bignell; Sethna), the authors feel strongly that it is necessary to incorporate students' perspectives into the theory and practice of feminist pedagogy. But although the issue of men's…

The present paper outlines the experiences reported by students from different social class backgrounds who have recently graduated from university. Students from manual skilled and partly skilled backgrounds were classed as disadvantaged, while students from professional or intermediate backgrounds were classed as advantaged. Data were collected…

Scholars who have studied the effects of early pubertal timing on girls' sexual debut contend that this association may result from the company they keep. Although this basic biosocial model of adolescent behavior has been applied to various outcomes with diverse samples of adolescent girls, less work has contextualized this microlevel…

Focusing on parental networks--a central dimension of social capital--this article uses ethnographic data to examine social-class differences in the relations between families and schools. We detail the characteristics of networks across different classes and then explore the ways that networks come into play when parents are confronted by…

Educational policy continues to be of major concern. Policy debates about economic growth and national competitiveness, for example, commonly focus on the importance of human capital and a highly educated workforce. Defining the theoretical boundaries and methodological approaches of education policy research are the two primary themes of this…

This volume examines the ramifications of individual differences in therapy outcomes for a wide variety of communication disorders. In an era where evidence-based practice is the clinical profession's watchword, each chapter attacks this highly relevant issue from a somewhat different perspective. In some areas of communication disorders,…

Dutch child care can be described as organized provision with care, guidance and additional education for children from 0-16 years old, by other people than parents or guardians in a way that is adapted to the space of twenty-four hours and the age of children and to the needs of parents or guardians. Child care in the Netherlands is characterized…

Drawing from the life course perspective, racial disparities in hospitalization are considered in light of a chain of risk. We ask whether race influences admission to, length of stay in, and mortality following hospitalization. Analyses address these questions with data from a national longitudinal sample of adults to assess racial disparities in…

This nonexperimental, longitudinal field study examines the extent to which variation in observed classroom supports (quality of emotional and instructional interactions and amount of exposure to literacy and math activities) predicts trajectories of achievement in reading and math from 54 months to fifth grade. Growth mixture modeling detected…

This article critically appraises the success of the Back To Education Allowance (BTEA) in removing barriers to participation in 3rd level education for welfare recipients in Ireland. The paper is based on empirical data from focus group and in-depth qualitative interviews with 3rd level students on the BTEA. This study argues that it is…

Older cities in the United States have long been trying to "bring back" the middle class in order to increase tax base. The poor quality of schools and the presence of public housing often were cited as deterrents for attracting higher income families. When the 2000 Census data revealed improvements in many cities, some elected officials…

In "Working-Class Women in the Academy," Laura Weaver explains how her working class background affected the attitudes she developed toward members and the elements of the middle-class academy. Weaver says she considers education a privilege, something that must be earned. She holds a particular empathy for working-class students who…

The Educational Institute of Scotland, a trade union representing approximately 80% of Scottish teachers, is committed to an anti-racist, anti-sexist education system which, in pursuing excellence for each learner, will also advance social equality. The conference reported in this document was designed to further this commitment. Papers presented…