Three years after the passage of the Chicago Public Schools Reform Act, Stephen K. Hayt School in Chicago (Illinois) has shown some successes, but neighborhood politics have hampered progress as ethnic groups and others dispute issues. In addition, cuts in the citywide school budget left teachers scrambling for supplies. (JB)

Racial bias and inadequate financial supports place the children of the urban poor at risk. Implications of urban conditions for research, policy, and practice are discussed, with emphasis on delivery of social welfare services. (SLD)

Tracing the history of federal education policy in the 1960s and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) reveals shared assumptions about poverty and the government's role. These assumptions made educational reform essential to the Great Society, even though the federal commitment did not become local priority. (SLD)

Presents the statement of the state Commissioner of Education before the New Jersey Senate Education Committee in defense of increased funding to urban school districts provided by the Quality Education Act. Argues that state legislators have a moral obligation and legal duty to see poor school districts properly funded. (SLD)

Reviews changes in the U.S. family by comparing its structure and function in 1960 and in 1990. Finds dramatic changes in women's roles and attitudes; new parenting approaches; and effects on children's social, physical, and emotional success. Argues that children and their care are being neglected. (JB)

A longitudinal early schooling process model was developed for first-year and second-year reading achievement, mathematics achievement, and socioemotional maturity with 1,539 low-income minority children. Data were collected from children and teachers over four time periods. Results indicate that family- and school-related cognitive readiness had…

The combination of economic hardship, limited access to supportive services, and the psychological burden of oppression have combined to disadvantage African-American children and place significant obstacles in the way of their development. This special issue assembles a group of articles focusing on the development of African-American children.…

Examines relationships among socioeconomic advantage, achievement motivation, and academic performance in an urban elementary school population of 130 African-American and Hispanic fourth- through sixth-grade students. Results indicate that socioeconomic advantage and achievement motivation are significant mediators of academic performance among…

Reviews the following health issues related to the opportunity to learn for poor African-American and other minority children: (1) inadequate prenatal care; (2) malnutrition; (3) childhood diseases and illnesses; (4) unsafe environments and violence; (5) teenage sexual activity, pregnancy, and AIDS; (6) substance use and abuse; and (7) mental and…

Discusses changes in the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) and Title I designed to help disadvantaged students meet the higher academic standards of school reform. Changes include emphasizing high-quality teaching and professional development, shifting decision making to the school level, creating a link between Title I and other IASA…

Provides an overview of the Cities in Schools (CIS) organization and its school-based service delivery model that focuses on reducing problem outcomes for at-risk youth. Findings from a multiyear evaluation that documented the characteristics of youth who participate in CIS programs are presented, and CIS components to support school safety are…

Uses the five stages of creativity designed by psychologist Jacob Getzel--first insight, saturation, incubation, illumination, and verification--to describe a mural project in a rural community college. Reports that the project successfully paired students with community members to paint two local murals. (NB)

Jonathan Kozol has made a good living talking with students. His books chronicle travels among poor, minority children, most of them African Americans in struggling public schools. In the four decades that Kozol, now 70, has been writing books--11 so far--his message has hardly wavered: minority children are unsuccessful because rich, white…

The arts survive at the margins of education primarily as curriculum enrichments. However, evidence is emerging that shows that arts education can have powerful effects on student achievement, with the greatest gains for students in the lowest socioeconomic status quartile, those most at risk of academic failure. Arts integration is an…

The first decade of democracy in South Africa ushered in dramatic social policy reforms. One innovation in initial teacher education emerged through the skills development policy, which introduced learnerships to address South Africa's human resource development needs. South Africa's learnerships have been adapted from countries such as the United…