Public and private schooling have a roughly uniform effect on achievement, but variability among students' home and neighborhood environments mask the leveling effect. Includes an historical discussion of egalitarianism and stratification in American education. (PS)

The new Labour Government in Britain has made the reduction of child poverty one of its central objectives. This paper describes the specific initiatives involved in Labour's approach and weighs them in terms of their potential impact. After setting out the extent of the problem of child poverty, the causes are discussed, and Britain's problem is…

This article reviews the socioeconomic data collected in the National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students, which involved interviews with parents of students (aged 13-21) with visual impairments during the 1986-87 school year. Family characteristics are described, including the family income level and the educational level…

Examines aspects of mother-only families. Finds high economic insecurity in mother-only families because of low earnings, lack of child support and meager public benefits. Argues that struggle of mother-only families reflects societal struggles around changes in women's roles, relationship between state and family, and class and racial inequality.…

Since the early 1980s, college tuitions have soared, and state and federal governments have sought new ways to help students and families meet the costs of attendance. Annual state and federal appropriations to traditional student aid programs have more than doubled in the past two decades. In addition, the federal government created the Hope…

Examines way women and men organize their gender relations in families around domains of marriage, work, and parenthood through research literature review. Concludes gender specialization persists across all three domains with women most responsible for marriage, housework and parenthood, and men, for provision. Recommends greater examination of…

A study gathered data that described recent changes in the economic well-being of U.S. workers and their families. Data, including family incomes, wages, fringe benefits, and employment, showed that, in 1987, after 5 years of recovery, the average worker was worse off economically than at the peak of the last business cycle. The typical family's…

Data from the Social Security Administration's Retirement History Study and a supplement to the 1968 Current Population Survey are discussed in terms of the relationship between (1) family size and residence, and (2) economic and educational status. It is shown that household heads who grew up as members of large families and/or as natives of…

Part-time workers are those working fewer than 35 hours per week. Of the 113 million wage and salary workers in the labor force, only 17 percent are classified as part time. Four of five part-time workers choose to work part-time rather than full-time. The 3.8 million involuntary part-time workers constitute only 3.4 percent of the work force.…

Examines, in eight articles, changes in family economics. Studied effects of low income on young womens' high school completion, impact of negative income tax on children, moonlighting husbands, wives and husband's housework, relationship between human capital and fertility, household expenditure patterns, and cost of housewives' lost work…

This study by the National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity show that, in the past decade, some groups have fared much better economically than others. First, the age distribution of those officially termed poor has shifted. Second, the reduction of overall poverty levels has been accompanied by increased sexual and racial inequality.…

Background: The differential effectiveness of parent training has led researchers to examine a variety of child, parent, and familial variables that may predict treatment response. Studies have identified a diverse set of child, parent psychological/behavioral and demographic variables that are associated with treatment outcome and dropout.…

This report provides results from a Minnesota state survey designed to identify the characteristics of the students enrolled in Minnesota colleges and how their families are financing their education. Data are presented from survey responses of 5,347 undergraduate college students. Information is presented separately for dependent and independent…

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…

Examines cross-metropolitan variation in Puerto Rican poverty rates using an instrumental variables regression model. The analysis highlights the roles of residential segregation and economic restructuring on Puerto Rican poverty rates in 1970 and 1980. During the 1970s, the contributory effects of segregation grew stronger, whereas the…