The National Institutes of Health has developed innovative programs to help students, mostly medical school graduates, to repay or to forgive student loans, including physician participation in AIDS research, general research, and contraception and fertility, and plans for graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program also provides…

Results from a study of at-risk boys in a summer camp suggest that critical thinking can be fostered effectively in an instructional framework that emphasizes teacher modeling, an indirect approach to instruction, group collaboration, and strategy facilitation. The study examined changes in critical- thinking scores, as well as teacher and student…

A study evaluated the Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL) program using four Australian disadvantaged schools. Two schools implemented the program in the kindergarten year, while the other two schools pursued regular kindergarten curriculum. Children in the program outperformed others on words read in context, but not on words read in…

Examined cognitive competencies and motivation in economically advantaged and disadvantaged preschoolers and kindergartners over a two-year period. Found that disadvantaged children had poorer cognitive scores than advantaged children. Cognitive gains were equal after one or two years in school, with socioeconomic status (SES) differences…

Investigates whether 19th-century children of immigrants living in ethnic ghettos were less likely to attend school than their peers who lived elsewhere. It considers the sources of the relationship between neighborhood of residence and school attendance in Boston (Massachusetts) and Chicago (Illinois) by examining the structure of their markets…

A study of five high-poverty districts making strides in improving student achievement revealed that these districts focused on systemwide strategies including new approaches to professional development; making decisions based on data, not instinct; and redefining leadership roles. (MLF)

Describes Chicago magnet school's use of seminar discussion and classroom dialogue to nurture students' active engagement in the learning process. Draws on experience at a public magnet school in Chicago with a student population that is largely poor and minority. (Contains 10 references.) (PKP)

The effects of early educational intervention on the attainment of the Piagetian cognitive stage of concrete operations by 86 socioeconomically disadvantaged children aged 5, 6, and 7 years were assessed. The Concept Assessment Kit-Conservation developed by M. L. Goldschmid and P. M. Bentler (1968) was used. (SLD)

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) describes programs to improve poor Americans' access to home ownership and economic opportunity. Discusses the Home Ownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere (HOPE) initiative, enterprise zones, housing opportunity zones, and other tools to eliminate barriers to entrepreneurship, job…

Employs the case study approach to show how the Reagan Administration's assault on environmental policies more adversely affects blacks and other minority groups than whites. Reviews recent research that shows minorities heavily concentrated in dangerous occupations and communities where the risk of exposure to toxic pollutants is greatest. (JS)

Discusses underestimation of women's skills as an issue of concern for all women and for socioeconomically disadvantaged women in particular. Factors contributing to underestimation are gender-biased expectations, socialization, gender-biased definitions of skills, discrimination, and low self-esteem. Presents interventions to increase skills…

Explores whether England is developing an American-style underclass and argues that England faces transforming changes in the near term similar to that of the United States but faster and possibly more politically volatile. The author addresses the likely effects of the revolution on English society and comments on the political context in which…

Examines the demography and the social and health status of Latino children, focusing on the implications for the formulation of public policy and the implementation of programs. Significant health issues by developmental stages are discussed, from infancy through adolescence, as well as issues surrounding access to medical care and health…

Reexamines family structure's influences on standardized test scores of first- and second-grade children with respect to family resources. Found that two parents in the home and family resources did not affect growth in standardized achievement during school sessions. Family resources did influence achievement when school was out. (RJM)

Describes the National Drug Control Strategy's nine-pronged approach in addressing drug abuse, which includes the formation of partnerships between federal, state, and local governments and the private and public sectors. The strategy includes prevention initiatives, individualized treatment programs for high-risk groups, education aimed at…