The Excellence in Cities (EiC) policy was launched in 1999 with the aim of improving the attainment of all pupils in disadvantaged urban areas. Further Phases were launched in 2000 and 2001, by when EiC covered about a third of the secondary schools in England and over 60 per cent of the minority ethnic pupils in England attended schools in EiC…

The Skills Reinforcement Project was designed to increase basic mathematics and language arts skills of disadvantaged and minority youth. Forty-five minority and economically disadvantaged sixth graders who participated in a 110-hour program made statistically greater gains in mathematics than 45 comparison sixth graders and nonsignificant gains…

Research conducted in the 1980s on differences in race/ethnicity, gender, and social class in the kindergarten through grade 12 and in the educational uses of computers is summarized in terms of access, processes, and outcomes, focusing on equity. Conclusions include the implication that computer use has maintained and even exaggerated existing…

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of Idaho's children. The statistical portrait is based on 15 indicators of child and family well-being: (1) poverty; (2) single parent families; (3) infant mortality; (4) low birth weight babies; (5) percent of all mothers not receiving adequate prenatal care; (6) mothers ages…

This report describes Blalock FIRST, a 3-year collaborative research project designed to improve literacy skills of low-income, African American families living in a severely depressed urban housing project. Project implementation, and antecedents to the implementation, are described. Objectives of the project were to: (1) increase achievement in…

Goal Five of the National Education Goals states that by the year 2000, every American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This report examines the challenges and progress of minorities compared to Whites in reaching Goal 5, focusing…

Martin Sanchez Jankowski conducted a 10-year study of gangs of varying ethnicity in three major cities, with a focus on New York City and Los Angeles (California). The center of his research has been in low-income areas, where gangs have been an institution for more than 150 years. Jankowski acquired experience by living with gangs from a variety…

This document presents five winning entries in the second annual competition for papers reporting research and policy studies on the topic of youth employability. In their paper entitled "The Impact of Employment and Training Programs on the Work Attitudes of Disadvantaged Youth," Michael Forcier and Andrew Hahn review and synthesize the…

Key research in the literature on the relationship between parent participation and achievement is discussed, participation being defined in terms of activities both within and outside of the school. The research resists generalization because of the range of potential parent activities and the uncertainty about what they convey, but yields the…

Fifth in a series of six volumes reporting outcomes of the preliminary evaluation of an educational intervention, this report presents the findings of the effects of Project Developmental Continuity (PDC) up to the time the evaluation study's cohort of children completed grade 1. Preliminary findings concerning the relationship between variables…

A final report of a study to evaluate Developmental Occupational Programs in Kentucky takes the form of a planning document for use by advisory councils, parents, teachers, administrators, regional directors, and state personnel. A brief introduction discusses these special vocational programs which provide (1) instruction to enable disadvantaged…

PROJECT CONCERN SEEKS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE LOWER ACHIEVEMENT OF DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS IS AN "ARTIFACT" OF A NEGATIVE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE SLUM NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE SLUM SCHOOL. TO COUNTERACT THIS EFFECT, THE PROJECT HAS BUSED OVER 250 INNER CITY MINORITY GROUP CHILDREN, FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE, TO FIVE MIDDLE CLASS…

An analysis of the 1970 Elementary School Survey was undertaken to determine the effects of large Federal expenditures for early childhood programs. This national survey gathered data from 3,500 schools, including observations of 20,000 teachers on 80,000 students in grades 2, 4, and 6. The following comparisons were made for second, fourth, and…

Concerns and objections regarding minimum competency testing (MCT) are raised. The tests are criticized for their tendencies to: (1) deny variability in growth, development, and intelligence; (2) expose rather than constructively examine underachievers; (3) divert scarce personnel and financial resources to test administration; (4) ignore…

A study of 3 schools in a severely impoverished rural Arkansas school district sought to determine the effects of an enrichment program initiated in one of the schools. Efforts were also made to determine and compare the achievement and resultant gains in intelligence, personality, and academic advancement of welfare recipient and non recipient…