Research on the differences in motivation to achieve in school among 10 groups of four-year-olds utilized a new, 75-item objective projective test called Gumpgookies. This test was individually administered to approximately 2000 children mainly from low economic backgrounds. The various ethnic and religious groups were compared with respect to…

New tactics for teaching the disadvantaged must be developed which are significantly different from traditional approaches which have been used with advantaged children. Creative strategies in teaching must be developed which utilize sound teaching and learning theories and which, at the same time, are able to be continuously evaluated in a…

An evaluation of a youth and economic opportunities agency's improvement program for preschool children is presented. Objectives of the Head Start program include: (1) Improving the child's physical health and abilities, (2) Helping the emotional and social development of the child, (3) Improving the child's mental processes and skills and…

Research was centered on "at risk" students enrolled in an Academy that was designed to specifically meet "at risk" student needs. Teacher response styles during the discipline process was the center of the research given that "at risk" students are suspended more frequently than students typically falling into the "regular" student population.…

This brief details the history of the federal government's stance with language minority students, and analyzes the implications of changes to its guiding principles made by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. With every federal re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act prior to 2001, the importance of bilingual…

The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at the University of Virginia conducted a 4-year qualitative case study in three very different school sites to explore how teachers contribute to the academic success of high potential, low economic students of color. Typically, the ethnicity, race, and/or economic status of these…

Innovative programs of school reform and research for diverse student populations have tended to focus on specific cultural, linguistic, or ethnic populations and on specific local communities. Findings from this body of research over the years have resulted in a core of principles for designing and implementing programs for at-risk students. Five…

An evaluation was conducted of the Hawaii Food Stamp Employment and Training (FSE&T)/Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program Conformance Demonstration, known as PRIDE (Positive Response in Developing Employment). The cost component determined impact of the demonstration on costs of administering and providing activity components and support…

An evaluation was conducted of the Texas Food Stamp Employment and Training(E&T)/Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program Conformance Demonstration. The cost analysis determined the impact of the demonstration, the BOND (Better Opportunities for New Directions) program, on costs of administering and providing activity components and support…

Most welfare-to-work programs may be classified as quick employment programs emphasizing individual or group job searches or skill-building programs emphasizing basic education. Although both types of programs offer benefits, they also suffer from significant limitations. To be more effective than their predecessors, current-generation…

This report examines data from a study of the relationship among work status, wage levels, marital status, education, age of youngest child and use of child care in allowing low income households to remain off welfare. The study described looking separately at public assistance status (whether a household received welfare) and recidivism (how long…

Companion to a five-part public television documentary, this book describes efforts across the United States to fight poverty, and also prescribes that we all take responsibility for a fight against economic inequality. The book's goal is to contribute to a meaningful discussion about poverty in America, a topic that cannot be broached today…

The Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the eight-year, six-city demonstration project, Jobs Initiative (JI), in 1995 to provide support and assistance to community groups, employers, foundations, and community colleges helping disadvantaged, low-skilled workers secure family-supporting jobs. JI sites found that even during a time when employers…

A study collected information on the participation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients in work and work activities and their characteristics and how they have changed over time. Data were gathered on strategies states use to help hard-to-employ (HTE) TANF recipients get and keep jobs and on challenges states face in…

A study established the extent of literacy deficits among participants in Victoria's Job Network, Job Search Training (JST) programs, and the impact that identified literacy deficits are having on job seekers' ability to participate in the Australian Job Search program and on their job seeking potential. Data were sought from 35 programs (with…