The primary goal of this study was to evaluate two of the Upward Bound (UB) program's major objectives: (1) increasing the high school completion rate of its participants, and (2) increasing the rate of entry of its participants into postsecondary institutions. Evaluation of attainment of actual skills and motivation was a secondary goal of the…

Parent Cooperative Preschool, designed to provide experiences tailored to the children enrolled, teaches specific skills the children will need when they begin informal schooling, and develops parent-child relationships which will sustain motivation once the child enters public school. The preschool operates on the premise that these goals can be…

Rarely in educational research do researchers have access to data that allow them to empirically explore the impacts of programs on individual student learning over long periods of time. This element of Consortium for Policy Research in Education's (CPRE) evaluation of the America's Choice comprehensive school reform design is one of those…

This report investigates how inner-city schools are performing on the academic goals and standards set by the states for children, examining district-by-district achievement data in math and reading through spring 2002. It also measures achievement gaps between cities and states, African American and Whites, and Hispanics and Whites; presents new…

This paper examines how religious practice and religious faith can protect Latino youth from problems in school and contribute to their academic success. Data were drawn from research on social capital and from three major national surveys with large samples of Latinos. Findings indicate that Latino students who actively attended church or who saw…

To what extent can educational technology help schools close achievement gaps? What types of educational technology can administrators, teachers, and students use to help close achievement gaps? What kinds of educational technology practices and policies can help schools close achievement gaps? In order to address these questions, the North…

In 1999, Fairmont State College (FSC) received a U.S. Department of Education grant to implement Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) in nine primarily-rural counties of West Virginia. GEAR UP encourages disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous…

What are the thoughts of exemplary teachers from high poverty schools on linguistic diversity and cultural responsiveness? What do inner-city children say about their best teachers? In focus groups, faculty and students from high poverty schools were asked about the qualities and characteristics of exemplary urban teachers. One focus group…

Technology is now considered by most educators and parents to be an integral part of providing a high-quality education. There is concern, however, that not all students, particularly students in rural schools or schools with a high percentage of minority or poor students, have equal access to educational technology, both in terms of the…

Analysis of questionnaire responses of 44 minority (African American, Hispanic, or Filipino) gifted students attending a high school preparatory program, and follow-up interviews with 24 students, identified themes of locus of control, peer relations, leadership, and community orientation. Responses differed between genders. The role of school…

Addresses decision-making skills as one approach to increasing adolescents' ability to manage interpersonal violence. Data from Healthy Transitions, a pilot violence prevention study in Baltimore (Maryland), illustrate ways adolescents think about situations of social conflict and highlight the need to understand adolescents' viewpoints when…

A study examined the role played by cultural capital in the education of migrant students. Observations and interviews with administrators, faculty, and students during a summer migrant program in a rural Ohio school district indicate that the cultural capital of migrant students, particularly family loyalty, often conflicted with the cultural…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) investigated the effects of educational reform on approximately 61,000 disadvantaged urban students (focusing on Black and Hispanic-American students) in 4 districts. Excerpts from GAO findings and implications of the mixed results, with overall modest gains, are provided. (SLD)

Suggests new directions in parent involvement emerging in school districts across the country, identifying and analyzing 18 recently developed programs or reforms emphasizing effective parental involvement. Ten programs help parents support children's development, and eight define parent involvement as a central focus of school improvement or…

A developmental ecological model was used to identify child attributes, father characteristics, and familial factors associated with multidimensional father involvement with preschool children enrolled in Head Start. The relations between father involvement and children's school readiness were also investigated. Eighty-five African American…