In New Jersey suburban communities, blacks were most exposed to property and violent crime and whites and Asians were least exposed. Individual characteristics such as home ownership, income, and education did predict crime level of an individual's community, but contextual factors (community racial composition, poverty, and population size)…

Collected data from four urban neighborhoods to explore whether citizen participation in urban governance was fostered by civic culture and local political institutions. Although citizen participation was least likely to occur in poor neighborhoods demonstrating lower educational attainment levels, such factors could be mitigated by political…

The history of an urban squatter settlement in Bogota, Colombia, and the author's experiences with its residents in the last ten years are summarized. Topics covered include the unfriendly relationship between the government and squatter settlements; the history of the relationship between the government and this particular barrio; the demography…

This study addresses major identifying characteristics of the poor in Mississippi. These include problems which are apparent from a study of census data and other secondary materials, such as family composition, family size and occupation, and socioeconomic and demographic attributes. Mississippi has changed from a one crop economy to a…

Triage policy is the exclusion of severely declining urban areas from services and programs on the grounds that the intensity of their needs cannot be met and the provision of services is therefore inefficient. Community groups must insist that severity of need, human benefits, and community protection be the priorities for allocation of funds.…

Data from seven large urban areas are examined to determine the relationship between neighborhoods with a high incidence of poverty and social disorganization and low reading achievement. (ST)

Using census and administrative agency data for 177 urban census tracts in Cleveland, Ohio, variations in rates of officially reported child maltreatment were found to be related to structural determinants of community social organization. Child maltreatment rates were also found to be intercorrelated with other indicators of breakdown of…

This action research project investigated young urban adolescents' perceptions of violence in their school and community. The project involved gathering information about the community; engaging adolescents in creative, interactive activities; collaborating to develop a community photography project to help adolescents represent their perceptions…

Many attempts at educational reform, among them No Child Left Behind and a recent Philadelphia effort, assume that the quality of the educational programs being offered by schools can be inferred from the achievements of the children who attend them. This article explores the reasonableness of this assumption for Philadelphia public schools by…

This study sought to separate the effect of concentrated poverty on students' academic achievement and to develop a simple method for demonstrating that effect. The study was conducted in a midwestern urban school district with characteristics particularly suitable for answering these questions. It used two years worth of data on elementary school…

This report assesses the need for and availability of child care services in the metropolitan area of Louisville, Kentucky, including Jefferson County and six surrounding counties in Kentucky (Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble) and three counties (Clark, Floyd, and Harrison) in southern Indiana. This assessment focused on 1990…

This paper proposed some limitations on "quantitative-only" research focusing on Puerto Rican poverty in the United States. An overreliance on quantitative data may not allow for a full understanding and awareness of the nature and maintenance of poverty in Puerto Rican communities in the United States. An understanding of Puerto Rican…

Rates of teacher and student victimization are examined in a sample of over 600 public junior and senior high schools using questionnaire data from teachers, students, and principals, and 1970 census data about the communities within which the schools are located. Factor analysis was used to guide the development of scales measuring community and…

Studies of the amount of money spent by rural counties on General Assistance Programs identified three factors that contributed to the level of county support: the size of the population, local history of response to human needs, and the role of local public welfare and social service administrators. (JHZ)

The Rurality Index measures community access to resources for resolution of local problems; includes physical, population, educational, and financial elements; and assesses community connections to the larger society and the global economy. Analysis found that U.S. metro counties were heavily skewed to the least rural end of the scale but…