For many poor children in Latin America, successful adjustment to primary school is impeded by child, family, and school characteristics. Early intervention efforts have been moderately effective, but their initial effects are often overwhelmed by structural features of primary schools. A coherent, carefully supervised educational program with…

Reports that the debate over class size in schools has become more heated in recent years. Examines recent research and attempts to answer three questions regarding class size and academic achievement. Concludes that there is a link between the 2, but only in the early years and only with classes smaller than 20 students. (CFR)

Includes 14 reports on events, projects, and new publications on a variety of topics, including science and society; environmentally related indicators affecting human welfare; laboratory programs for European science journalists; programs for disadvantaged adolescents at science centers and youth museums; peer review in biomedical publication;…

Challenges identified by T. Bailey (1993) as obstacles to youth apprenticeship programs are accurate but do not justify the turn to alternative approaches he recommends. U.S.-style program can be built to overcome these difficulties if employer-worker collaboration can be fostered and institutional bases can be constructed. (SLD)

S. F. Hamilton and the author agree on the potential of youth apprenticeship programs for education but disagree on the strength of the problems facing implementation of apprenticeship models. A two-level reform strategy is recommended to develop an institutional and legal structure and to encourage employer participation. (SLD)

Replies to "Adolescent Mothers Drop Out" (Douglas K. Anderson, 1993). It is indeed true that women who begin childbearing as adolescents achieve less schooling than do women who postpone or forego childbearing, but debate about why continues. It is argued that the apparent impact of early childbearing on education may result from a common set of…

Research has established that small schools create intimate learning communities where students can be encouraged by caring adults, reduce student alienation, reduce negative effects of low socioeconomic status, and encourage teachers to help students succeed. Strategies for creating small learning communities within large schools and findings on…

Research suggests that after-school programs reduce juvenile crime and risky behavior; increase confidence, academic performance, and social skills; and build positive adult-child and home-school relationships. The need for supervised after-school activities, especially in poor neighborhoods; the characteristics of successful programs; and the…

Research concerning the roles that race, ethnicity, and culture play in youth development is reviewed; and the implications of this research for the design of youth development programs are analyzed, with recommendations for program planners. The analysis focuses on the various assumptions that have been used with respect to minority youth, the…

This monograph presents a synthesis of current concerns and information relative to at-risk children. The report summarizes and discusses major issues concerning contemporary definitions of "at risk," the history of concern over at-risk children, general factors and conditions involved in placing children at risk, and contemporary issues regarding…

This document includes a selection of materials from the National Coalition of Education Activists (NCEA) on tracking and ability grouping designed to be a tool for teachers who wish to organize their school or district against tracking. The packet contains a cover letter, a response/feedback form, and reproductions of the following articles: (1)…

Contributions of participants in a three-day invitational symposium for representatives of the 21 California high schools which were most successful in sending Black and Hispanic students to the University of California and the California State University are compiled in this document. The publication addresses two major goals of the California…

This review examines literature on the community's role in the achievement and psychosocial outcomes of disadvantaged students. It identifies three classes of factors as pertinent: community structure, community climate, and community involvement. Community characteristics were found to have only a weak effect on achievement at the individual…

As a part of its mandate for equal access to vocational training for special needs individuals, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1984 stipulated that if disadvantaged individuals require separate programming to enable them to participate in vocational education, federal funds may be used to pay 50 percent of the cost…

Increasing concern about the overall quality of America's schools has altered federal and state education policy priorities. This shift has resulted in a reduction of federal support, an increase in state-level initiatives, and development of new policies aimed more toward improving the education system generally than toward solving the problems…