The city is harsh and confusing" visually; the art teacher's job includes helping children to experience the natural world. (Author/SP)

Studied the playground games of children in their first year of schooling. Findings for 77 urban first graders show that facility with games forecast the social competence of boys and the adjustment to first grade of both boys and girls. (SLD)

Investigated the relationship between participation in special education in grades 1 through 6 and academic achievement among 1,234 low-income children participating in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Controlling for several factors, children in special education had lower reading and mathematics achievement scores, especially in grades 4-6. (SLD)

This study documented the learning outcomes of preservice teachers who participated in a service-learning program for professional development on understanding the academic and social needs of students attending urban schools in a low-income northern California community. Eight preservice teachers participated for periods from 1 to 2 years.…

Family mathematics programs, based on family literacy programs, successfully teach math skills to both children and their parents. This digest describes specific strategies for teaching family mathematics. Schools can use these strategies as part of an overall program or as ad hoc family learning activities. In family math programs, program…

Investigated the effects of perceptual differentiation in groups and assessed its relation to intergroup attitudes in children Subjects were black children and white children from the second, fourth and sixth grades. (SDH)

For the past 10 summers a rural Ohio farm family, convinced of the merits of involving children in farm experiences and/or plant and animal care, has shared its farmstead with approximately 3,000 urban elementary school children. This paper discusses the impact of farm experiences on children's development, exploring rural community life among the…

Arab and Jewish children living in a city in northern Israel were matched as closely as possible for school grade, age and SES, and tested on the Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence. Results indicated little if any difference between Jewish and Arab children in level or pattern of the intellectual abilities as elicited by the WPPSI…

Reports a series of urban-centered encounters which helped some New York City children become aware of the processes that shape their environment and the earth. (WY)

The relationship between each of several dimensions of the expectancies of fifth through eighth grade black urban pupils and their school achievement was examined. While anticipated differentiation on racial items was not seen, two important factors were found: general personal efficacy and interpersonal control. (Author/JKS)

Conducted an 18-month intervention for African American inner city elementary school students in a gifted classroom. The intervention, supported by university-based coaches, involved positively phrased classroom behavioral expectations, social skills training, structural/systematic instruction, and preplanned positive and negative consequences for…

An analysis of data including standardized achievement test scores from 1960 and 1970 administrations from 62 community districts shows evidence of a strong relationship between the general level of reading within the schools, and health and welfare characteristics of community districts where the schools are located, it is stated. (Author/JM)

This research was a pilot study that evaluated the impact of relationship schemas and the quality of children's friendships in children's person perception. This study extends previous work in this area in three ways by: (1) examining how children integrate multiple types of information to form impressions of others; (2) evaluating the impact of…

Evaluated an inner-city science enrichment program for elementary school students using an evaluation team of staff, board members, students, parents, and representatives of the agency's major funder, for 12 participants in all. Data show high satisfaction with the program and provide validation of the hands-on teaching model. The highly…

The present study evaluated the impact of Urban Improv (UI), a theater-based youth violence prevention (YVP) program developed for inner-city youth, on three behavioral and psychological outcome domains: aggressive behaviors, prosocial behaviors, and scholastic attention and engagement. This study compared outcomes for 77 elementary school…