As Harold Lasswell and his colleagues observed of the rhetoric of power (Language of Politics, 1965), some words become magic, with "inexplicable powers" attributed to them. "Access" has become such a word in the discourse of higher education. The sloganistic use of the term implies that someone, somewhere, is preventing somebody from doing…

Notes that Zaslow study marks an important advance in understanding of child-care-utilization patterns and how center-based programs in low-income communities may influence children's development and school readiness. Asserts that researchers should not become complacent after finding that simply being in a child-care program makes a difference in…

Congress has begun to rewrite the Higher Education Act, the federal law that authorizes student aid programs like Pell Grants, student loans, Federal Work-Study, TRIO and GEAR UP. This will mark the eighth time that the law has been formally revisited since it was enacted in 1965. It is still early in the process and it is uncertain what the…

Although the nation has been focused on improving its schools for more than a decade, the achievement gap between children from low-income households and those from more affluent households persists. Recognizing the close relationship between education and other supports and services for children, families, and communities, this book is designed…