This digest discusses issues in the selection of an appropriate focus for a focus school. Schools with a theme and schools targeted for particular students, which are both components of the focus-school genre, have long been a part of the nation's education system. A number of school districts, especially in urban areas, have established focus…

The "digital divide," the separation between those with access to new technologies and those without, is seen by many as one of the leading equity issues in the United States. Computer and Internet access varies widely across the United States, with better educated people, those with more money, and whites more likely to have Internet…

This examination of the relationship that exists between technology and students warns that, although technology is routinely touted as a potentially powerful agent of educational reform, technology and equity are not inevitable partners. A review of the literature on computer equity reveals that many students--not only minority, disadvantaged,…

Educational reform initiatives such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards, National Science Education Standards, and Project 2061 provide guidelines to reduce the diversity gap in science and mathematics literacy. Schools are applying these guidelines to classroom practices by posing questions about what changes are…

This ERIC digest reports the background effects, and implications of Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing the right of undocumented immigrant children to attend public school. The document is divided into five parts. "Background of the Plyler Case" describes the Plyler v. Doe ruling and the Texas law that the…

This digest defines the concept of teacher leadership and examines the impact of teacher leadership on student achievement and equity within the schools. Most researchers agree that teacher leaders demonstrate expertise in their instruction and share that knowledge with colleagues; are consistently on a professional learning curve; practice…

Despite numerous special problems, urban schools are attempting to develop programs to meet the needs of homeless children. National estimates of the number of homeless school-age children range as high as 440,000, at least one-half of whom do not attend school. The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 includes a section that…

Educational vouchers are the most controversial of numerous school-choice alternatives. This ERIC Digest in Spanish provides some background on the topic and discusses the support educational vouchers has received, as well as arguments for and against vouchers. The digest supplies information concerning the degree of success for voucher programs…

Educational vouchers are the most controversial of numerous school-choice alternatives. This ERIC Digest provides some background on the topic and discusses the support that educational vouchers has received, as well as arguments for and against vouchers. The digest supplies information concerning the degree of success for voucher programs and…

Low-income African American and Latina adolescent females need extensive support for developing and implementing career plans. This digest discusses ways schools and other institutions can provide an education that furthers career development. Interventions that have been shown to be effective with disadvantaged African American and Latina female…

Noting that the English-Only movement (which advocates that English be the official and only language used in the United States) dramatically influences the lives of language minority children, this Digest first examines the ideologies undergirding the English-Only movement. It then reviews the consequences of imposing this legislation on the…

This digest provides background information about gender equity in sports and physical activity as well as specific strategies for achieving equity at the middle and secondary school levels. The paper begins by describing gender equitable sports programs as ones in which either boys or girls would be pleased to accept as its own the program of the…

Achieving equity in the number of American Indian and Alaskan Native students who enter college and subsequently graduate is important to Natives and to the nation as a whole. Based on institutional data and demographic data, state equity scores for enrollment (ESEs) and state equity scores for graduation (ESGs) were computed for seven states with…

The increasing number of black students in private schools has been stimulated partly by concern about the adequacy of the public schools; a desire by parents for greater choice about, and control over, their children's schooling; and a desire to find schools with values similar to their own. Private school efforts to draw minority students have…

This factsheet explores the school counselor's role in helping college-bound students. Equity in counseling is considered in the areas of access to counseling and student tracking. Timelines in precollege counseling are presented for elementary and junior high grades, and for each grade level in high school. Eight resource documents are listed.…