The Florida State Legislature and the Department of Education have generally addressed the 1997 recommendations of the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) for improving student performance in high-poverty schools. Recent legislation and department actions have established a stronger foundation for ensuring that…

This paper examines how policies on student behavior and attendance are used to push students into dropping out of school. Although in the public mind the proliferation of dropouts is associated with a drain on the economy, there is no real evidence to indicate either that there actually are large numbers of dropouts or that dropping out is…

The largest single federal investment in schooling, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (P.L. 103-382) has provided supplementary resources to schools with large numbers of low-income students throughout the past three decades. In 1994 the program was reauthorized according to the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA), which…

Proposes that metropolitan colleges be established to give disadvantaged inner city youth the cultural experiences that they would not otherwise have. The metropolitan college is seen "as an institution whose central purpose is the education of young people by any and all means necessary." (Author/JM)

Shares the perspectives of a black parent, herself a teacher at a school founded by the Black Panthers, whose daughter was educated in the public schools of Oakland (California) and Kalamazoo (Michigan) between 1986 and 1996. Many negative experiences, some centered around language, are described. (SLD)

Discusses the controversy over the use of Ebonics in the Oakland (California) schools and presents two schools of thought about the origin of Ebonics, the pidgin/Creole and the African retention theories. Three research studies are described that support the use of Ebonics in the classroom as a bridge to standard English. (SLD)

A survey of 102 urban school districts in large cities indicates that school districts have responded to the requirements of the Stewart B. McKinney Act for the education of homeless children to varying degrees. However, 69 percent of districts described the problem of homeless students as nonexistent or small. (SLD)

Describes the key features of a new and unconventional teacher preparation program intended to provide urban minority students with skills and incentive to be educators. Discusses how the success of the program will be evaluated. Describes the Urban Teacher Program in Michigan, a collaboration among two school districts and three colleges. (JS)

Argues that proposals recently put forth by the government for the improvement of educational achievement in England will not solve the problem, and suggests a focus on teachers and students and real partnerships with communities, with equal contributions by stakeholder groups, including racial and ethnic minorities. (SLD)

United States teachers must be excellent, and they should resemble the U.S. student body in their diversity. Two approaches taken by the U.S. Department of Education, the "Recruiting New Teachers for Underserved Areas" program and the "Lighthouse Partnership Program," are aimed at increasing teacher diversity. (SLD)

Contributors to this collection put forth many contemporary theoretical ideas about violence in society. All agree that finding ways to prevent violence is critical and that living in peace means acceptance of diversity. The following chapters are included: (1) "Motivational Approach to Violent Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Perspective: (Sergei V.…

This study examines the larger realities of African-American males and analyses the theoretical contexts of educational practices in alternative education schools and programs for African-American males. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the crises African Americans face and introduces the concepts of black all-male academies and the nature of…

The SUCCESS Program of the Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools provides employment, health, mental health, and social services in a comprehensive "one-stop shopping" manner at the most accessible location for children and youth, the public school that they attend. During the 1995-96 school year, the strategies of the SUCCESS program were…

Lorraine Monroe, founder of the Frederick Douglass Academy, a public school that promises inner-city students an education comparable to that of an elite suburban school, tells her own story of overcoming obstacles to become a respected educator. Monroe grew up in Harlem in a broken home after the departure of an abusive father. Following her…

Protective factors that contribute to the development of resiliency in children, defined as "unusually good adaptation in the face of severe stress, and an ability of the stressed person to rebound to the prestress level of adaptation," are discussed. The biological, psychological, familial, and social factors related to disadvantages…