While employment growth has accelerated, allowing unemployment to fall significantly since 2005, many low-skilled workers are still unemployed and the duration of unemployment spells is still long. The introduction of an in-work benefit for workers in low-income households, subject to a minimum of hours worked, could lower barriers to higher…

From 1989 until 1998 the U.S. Department of Education administered the National Workplace Literacy Demonstration Program. During that period, over $130 million supported some 300 projects where adult education programs partnered with thousands of businesses, agencies, and organizations to provide work-based skills to employees. While only seven…

This paper presents questions and answers regarding college access and success. These questions include: (1) What is the "achievement gap" and how serious is it?; (2) Is college the best option for all students? If not, why prepare all youth for college?; (3) Can we afford to send everyone to college?; (4) What prevents students from going to…

Growing international interest in the early childhood years has been accompanied by an expansion of public programs in Australia targeting young children and their families. This article explores some of the influences and rhetoric that frame these initiatives. It encourages critical examination of the discourses that shape the nature of early…

Since 2001, librarians at Oregon State University's Valley Library have been working to build a "teaching library" supported by a clearly articulated instruction program. From the start, we believed that we needed to assess the teaching library's impact, not only to determine the success or failure of our efforts but also to demonstrate…

Family-centered service is a service delivery model that recognizes the central role of families, builds on their strengths, and seeks to fully involve them in all aspects of their child's health, learning, and development. Family-centered service has been associated with positive outcomes in health and education and has been viewed as best…

Although sexuality and relationships education is recommended as one of the targets of school health education projects in Greece, implementation seems to be problematic. This article discusses findings from a survey on Greek primary school teachers, particularly their opinion on the suitability of primary schools for sexuality education, whether…

The growing influx of immigrant families into the USA necessitates an understanding of how these families manage mental health disorders. Few studies have documented the ways in which autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are understood across different immigrant groups. This lack of knowledge creates barriers for practitioners who are encountering…

Adults with developmental disabilities are often excluded from participating in a variety of online activities, which are part of everyday life in our digital, knowledge-based society, using information and communication technology (ICT). Numerous barriers are associated with their non-participation, including a lack of basic computer and Internet…

A multicultural curriculum is one that includes all cultures that make up the United States, and social class is one factor to address when considering such a curriculum. Social class is often misperceived as the middle class social strata, because it is the core structure within the United States. Culture is a social personality structure, and it…

Identical vignettes except for a sentence describing a client's economic resources were randomly assigned to 129 MSW students. The vignettes described a social worker who agreed with a client's decision to relocate her residence as a partial solution to a presenting problem but did not assess or address economic barriers to the client's…

This article provides an overview of the major factors and interventions affecting migrant students' academic performance/outcomes. Factors outside the school, such as poverty, family, and English language proficiency, are discussed. Next, factors inside the school, such as student records, credit accrual, and school curriculum, will be reviewed.…

Evidence-based practice has received increased emphasis within the social work field in the past decade and social work educational programs are including more evidence-based practice content in their curricula. This article examines some issues social work educators may wish to consider as they teach evidence-based practice to social work…

The authors describe the evaluation of the implementation of an outcome measurement system (Goal Attainment Scaling-GAS) within the context of an interdisciplinary and interagency intellectual disability services setting. The GAS database allowed analysis of follow-up goals and indicated the extent of implementation, while a rater study evaluated…

One of the objections to a children's rights perspective is that children are unable to accept the responsibilities that go with rights. If children are to attain the status of citizens and exercise the responsibilities of citizenship, participation during childhood is essential. Yet children are frequently excluded when important decisions have…