This paper argues that non-credit community college courses can reach more educationally and economically disadvantaged students and better serve them in their pursuit of short-term and long-term goals. The report suggests that these courses are more flexible, less impersonal and bureaucratic, and are more likely to be in community-based…

Riverside Community College (RCC), in Riverside, California, launched New Visions in 1999, a program designed to help welfare recipients prepare for college and move to better jobs. The program is a partnership between RCC and the Riverside Department of Public Social Services (DPSS). New Visions provides a 24-week program of academic instruction…

This report focuses on key findings, recommendations, and cross-site analysis of a study of vocational education practices that support welfare reform by preparing individuals for workforce entry. An introduction describes study methodology. Chapter 2 provides an overview of differences between vocational education under the Carl D. Perkins…

Buffalo Creek Elementary School in Houston, Texas, has been recognized for its success in serving its students--approximately 600 low-income Hispanic children in grades preK-5. A study of the school, which sought to develop a detailed picture of school effectiveness, identified 33 indicators of success. Each of these indicators is briefly…

This report examines implementation and impacts of Ramsey County's Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a "work first" program. Chapter 1 lists key findings, provides an overview of the Ramsey County variant (MFIP-R) evaluation, and policy relevance of MFIP-R. Chapter 2 describes key features of MFIP-R and compares them with…

A case study of an economically distressed rural Kentucky school district examined the theory that educational policy can enable community participation and that participation can enable policy implementation by affecting school governance and expanding the services provided. Primary data were gathered via interviews with four parent participants,…

Impoverished pregnant teenagers were distinguished from matched or random controls by an inability to cope; by identification of family, school, and peer relationships as self-devaluing experiences; by an attraction to deviant identity as a source of self-esteem; and by adoption of deviant behaviors. (Author/CP)

Student health professionals, working as assistants to communities with serious health care problems, helped develop the Shuqualak health center in an area with the highest infant mortality rate in the United States. Describes the Community Technical Assistance Program and the history of the Shuqualak project. (SB)

Assessed the relative effects through age 23 on young participants born in poverty of the High/Scope, Direct Instruction, and traditional Nursery School preschool curriculum models. Found against using Direct Instruction in preschool programs and for using a well-defined curriculum model based on child-initiated learning activities. (Author)

Argues that successful provider-led training occurs when caregivers decide the type of assistance needed, the time and setting for learning, and when agency assistance is useful. Describes the facilitator approach utilized by the Satellites of Greater Rochester, which helps low-income neighborhoods receive technical assistance, training, and…

The San Diego State University (California) Health Careers Opportunity Program for disadvantaged students, most of whom are minorities, has 11 components, each dedicated to some form of educational intervention. The program emphasizes collaborative skills, fosters pride in accomplishment and confidence, and builds analytical and problem-solving…

Claims that children of color are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system and links this condition to the Flemming Rule implemented during the Eisenhower administration. Suggests that the Flemming Rule, although intended to be constructive, was negatively implemented, leading to long-term serious consequences for African…

Examines the Boston University/Chelsea project and explores how privatization intrinsically results in decreased openness and accountability. Discusses the historical background of Boston (MA) and its schools to decipher Chelsea's economic dependency, and repeated the falls into receivership and privatization. Includes a discussion on Boston's…

Traces the search for economic development alternatives that go beyond conventional neo-classical and Marxist theory and practice. Outlines case studies of social and economic transformation in South Korea and China and delineates the differences between similar attempts in Latin America and Eastern Europe. (MJP)

Summarizes the Report and Recommendations of the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation. Proposes an economic development approach that is based on a people-centered values framework and social mobilization. Profiles a similar program, Janasaviya, pioneered in Sri Lanka in 1989. (MJP)