Reviews research from the late 1960s through the present that considers how maternal employment affects children in low-income families. Most studies have indicated that children are not harmed when mothers go to work, but it is noted that the women in these studies entered employment voluntarily. (SLD)

This paper examines acculturation of Southeast Asian-American students, most of whom come from refugee backgrounds; outlines their unique conditions of educational risk; describes assessment procedures which call for identifying skills previously developed in a different environment; and recommends reciprocal teaching to help refugee children…

The use of ability grouping is frequently justified on the grounds that it is an effective means of raising attainment. Little large-scale quantitative research has been undertaken since the introduction of the National Curriculum in England and Wales. The aim of this article is to examine the effects of setting on students' achievement in…

Based on qualitative research conducted from 1998 to 2001, this article describes classroom interactions in a high school and examines two uses of rules: one associated with confinement, and another associated with cognitive skills development. Though the two forms overlapped, the first was more prevalent in self-contained classes, and the second…

There is a strong relationship between students' socioeconomic status and their levels of academic achievement. Although educators should be held accountable for improving the performance of all students, including those living in poverty, schools alone can't eliminate the negative factors associated with poverty that lead to a large achievement…

Addressing the issue of teachers' low expectations of students of color and those in poverty poses significant challenges to teacher education. The growing body of research focused on this issue documents ways teachers can make a real difference in the educational lives of children. Ladson-Billings' (1992; 1994; 1995) and others demonstrate that…

On July 14, 2006, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study that compared the performance in reading and math of 4th and 8th graders attending private and public schools. According to the NCES study, students attending private schools performed better than students attending public schools.…

In this critique of elementary and secondary education in the United States, the first section discusses the history of the U.S. educational system and how the development of the schools' curricula and assessment programs have been adapted to the white, male, Eurocentric style of learning. The second section looks at inequalities in learning and…

The 1980s brought an unprecedented rise in the number of homeless families with children. That there may be as many as three million homeless persons in the United States, with families representing one-third of this population, indicates that homelessness is a social problem of catastrophic proportions. This paper finds that while Federal…

The present review of the literature aims to look at two-generation programs and their effects on children and parents as a potential strategy to improve parent involvement in Head Start while responding to the self-sufficiency needs of families. This paper reviews several two-generation program evaluations: Comprehensive Child Development…

This analytical review aims at exploring trends in educational access and delineating different groups, which are vulnerable to exclusion from educational opportunities at the elementary stage. This review has drawn references from series of analytical papers developed on different themes i.e. regional disparity in education, social equity and…

This essay discusses the roots, current shapes, and social and operational implications of mentoring young people in poverty. After an introductory first section on mentoring and the new voluntarism, Section II, "Recurring Fervor," notes recent increased interest in mentoring and traces the early manifestations of mentoring to 19th…

This paper examines the urban mentoring program movement for one-on-one relationships between adults and youth that continue over time and are focused on the youth's development. The paper attempts to sort out some of the issues surrounding mentoring and to provide the prevention field with a perspective on the strategy. An opening section…

This paper explores (on the basis of available data) the role of various family characteristics in fostering abilities in preschool children and the subsequent effect of ability on earnings. The paper is part of an effort to improve the understanding of the process of human capital development as a basic determinant of earnings. Three specific…

Informal and formal programing for gifted children in grades 4 through 12 in Israel are described. After school and summer enrichment programs, special classes and special schools for the gifted are discussed; and a number of programs for gifted children from disadvantaged backgrounds are presented. The author reports on her own research studies…