This book is about teachers, teaching, and learners in poor environments in four Latin American countries: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela. Using ethnographic research methods, the study observed rural and urban schools at different periods during the school year. What emerged from the investigation is a vivid picture of teaching styles,…

Published evaluation reports about educational intervention programs sponsored by Israel's Project Renewal are summarized and analyzed in this report. The programs reported on fall into the following categories: (1) intervention programs aimed at the family; (2) curriculum-based intervention programs; (3) school-related enrichment programs; (4)…

Papers included are: (1) Presidential Address, (2) Challenges to Early Childhood Educators, (3) The Home Start Program in the U.S.A., (4) Early Childhood Training Programs, (5) Initiatives being Taken in Early Childhood Education Field by the Australian Government, (6) Audiovisual Materials for Parents' Discussion Groups, (7) The Role of the Adult…

Some students, who complete a preparatory or pre-vocational course in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, re-enroll in the same "enabling" course or at the same level of qualification in following years. Since one of the primary aims of enabling courses is to provide students with remedial education or preparatory…

In this book, several Hoover Institution scholars search for the answers to failures in U.S. schools and examine the debate over what works and what does not work. Such widely debated topics as national examinations, accountability, performance, and school funding are discussed. The importance of education to both the individual and society as a…

This book discusses primary education of the poor in the city of Mumbai, India. It focuses on the city of Mumbai itself and the poor who live in it, answering questions such as What makes the city the way it is? What does it mean to be poor in Mumbai? and How does the poverty of the poor in Mumbai affect their chances of receiving a basic…

This book presents an overview of working-class life in England, showing how women from working-class backgrounds still seldom achieve higher level academic qualifications and the lifestyle to which they lead. Analyzing her own experience and that of others of similar background, the author shows how their mothers and fathers held low expectations…

The socioeconomic status of Canadian native students may be more important than cultural differences when explaining their high dropout rate. Disadvantaged native and nonnative students share many experiences that isolate them from the mainstream school culture, including placement of disadvantaged students into lower-track courses and…

This paper discusses one aspect of the findings from an ethnographic study of the ways in which four-year-old children learn, and are taught, at home and in their Reception class. The children were from two distinctive cultural backgrounds within the same urban neighbourhood: one-half belonged to UK ("Anglo") families, and one-half to…

Examined is the success of Monash's Early Leavers' Scheme in terms of the performance, characteristics, and experience of successful applicants, and the manner in which the scheme has operated. The first section of the report provides background information on the establishment of the Scheme (to provide a modification to entry requirements for…

This followup study, one of a series of documents assessing the University of Western Ontario Preschool Project, examines the long range effects of the Project on the performance of children from low income families after entering the public schools. This study summarizes data accumulated by the end of the academic year 1977-78 and describes…

The educational situation of disadvantaged groups in Israel and England is reviewed. The nature of the immigrant and disadvantaged populations, the kind and extent of schooling available, and the positions of local educational authorities and of the two governments are discussed. Also included are descriptions of various programs for disadvantaged…

This plan for the longitudinal evaluation of a group of five different kinds of preschool programs involves a project conducted in a predominantly disadvantaged Australian community over the period 1975-79. Main project goals are (1) the determination of conditions under which particular preschool programs are most effective and (2) the evaluation…

The problems of the British educational system are viewed from an American perspective. The author compares present educational problems and prospects in Britain and the U.S., and describes Britain's policies on enrollment decline, nursery schools, disadvantaged children, secondary school organization, curriculum, examinations, teacher education,…

Improving education outcomes is vital for achieving convergence with GDP per capita levels in Western European countries and for reducing income inequality. While some education outcomes are favourable, such as the low secondary-school drop-out rate, others have room for improvement: education achievement is below the OECD average and strongly…