Showing papers on "Disadvantaged published in 2005"

All Credit to Men? Entrepreneurship, Finance, and Gender

Abstract: Availability of, and access to finance is a critical element to the start-up and consequent performance of any enterprise. Hence, any barriers or impediments to accessing appropriate levels or sources of funding will have an enduring and negative impact upon the performance of affected firms. Although findings have been somewhat inconsistent, there is support for the notion that women entrepreneurs entering self-employment are disadvantaged by their gender. This argument is evaluated through a theoretical analysis of gender using the example of accessing both formal and informal sources of business funding to illustrate how this concept impacts upon women in self-employment.

Comparing the Determinants of Persistence for First-Generation and Continuing-Generation Students

Abstract: In this study we examined and compared the determinants of first-to-second-year persistence for 1,167 first-generation and 3,017 continuing-generation students at four-year institutions, using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Survey (Wine, et al., 2002). Because first-generation students are overrepresented in the most disadvantaged racial, income, and gender groups, we used a critical theorist perspective to frame the research problem, guide inquiry, and interpret results.

National Differences, Global Similarities: World Culture and the Future of Schooling

Abstract: @fmct:Contents @toc4:List of Tables and Figures iii Preface iii @toc2: 1. The Global Environment of National School Systems 000 2. The Declining Significance of Gender and the Rise of Egalitarian Mathematics Education 000 3. Symbiotic Institutions: Changing Global Dynamics Between Family and Schooling 000 4. Demand for Achievement: The Worldwide Growth of Shadow Education Systems 000 5. Rich Land, Poor Schools: Inequality of National Educational Resources and Achievement of Disadvantaged Students 000 6. Safe Schools, Dangerous Nations: The Paradox of School Violence 000 7. The Universal Math Teacher? International Beliefs, National Work Roles, and Local Practice 000 8. Schoolwork at Home? Low-Quality Schooling and Homework 000 9. Slouching Toward a Global Ideology: The Devolution Revolution in Education Governance 000 10. Nation Versus Nation: The Race to Be the First in the World 000 11. Conclusion: Observing Modern Schooling as an Institution 000 @toc4:Bibliography 000 Index 000

The Children and Youth We Serve A National Picture of the Characteristics of Students With Emotional Disturbances Receiving Special Education

Abstract: This article provides a national perspective of children and youth with emotional disturbances (ED) served in special education using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study and the National LongitudinalTransition Study—2. Data sources comprise teachers,school records, the students, and their parents. Results indicate that children and youth with ED live in households in which multiple risk factors exist for poor life outcomes. As a group, these children and youth have serious and multiple impairments that include an array of emotional disabilities, poor communication skills, and low academic achievement. There is a considerable gap between initial identification of problems and the onset of service delivery, a high rate of suspension and expulsion, and an unstable school environment. Parents of children and youth with ED work harder to secure services for their children and are less satisfied with services than parents of children in other disability groups. Implications of the find...

Parent Recruitment and Retention in a Universal Prevention Program for Child Behavior and Emotional Problems: Barriers to Research and Program Participation

Abstract: Despite the potential of parent training as a prevention and behavioral family intervention strategy, there are a number of important issues related to implementation (e.g., recruitment and retention of families). This paper presents recruitment and retention data from families enrolling in a randomized controlled universal prevention trial for child behavior problems conducted in Germany. The recruitment rate averaged 31% (general project participation), with families of lower socioeconomic status (SES) participating at a lower rate. Project-declining families most often reported intrusion of privacy as their primary concern. In contrast, once parents were enrolled in the project, participation among those randomized to the parent training group averaged 77% (program/intervention participation); non-participation was mostly due to logistical issues. Parents accepting the offer of parent training were more likely to report child behavior problems than did declining parents. Although parents from more disadvantaged areas had a lower overall level of participation in the project once recruited, parents with children having higher levels of behavior problems indeed were more likely to participate in the intervention. Different recruitment methods may be required to engage high-risk families from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas to further improve community-level impact on child mental health.

Social Capital in Action: Alignment of Parental Support in Adolescents' Transition to Postsecondary Education

Abstract: This article examines the effects of social capital in the transition to postsecondary education, in particular, transitions to selective colleges. Refining the theory of social capital with the concept of alignment between parents' and adolescents' goals and actions, we emphasize the complementarity of extra-group ties as social capital through which parents can effectively bridge resources and information to adolescents, enabling them to make informed choices about college. This study explores conditions that ease the transition to college, especially for students who are disadvantaged (e.g., children of immigrants). Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988-94, a multinomial logistic regression analysis that differentiates among students who choose different pathways after high school graduation (a two-year college, a four-year college or no postsecondary enrollment). A Heckman selection model is used to predict the selectivity of four-year colleges attended by students. Results show that alignment of parents' and students' goals increases students' odds of attending a postsecondary institution in the year after high school graduation. The effect of parents' education on the selectivity of the college attended is also dependent on aligned ambition and aligned action between parents and adolescents. For example, active participation in postsecondary school guidance programs by parents is more beneficial to students whose parents have lower levels of educational attainment.

Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and access to health care.

Abstract: Most research on access to health care focuses on individual-level determinants such as income and insurance coverage. The role of community-level factors in helping or hindering individuals in obtaining needed care, however, has not received much attention. We address this gap in the literature by examining how neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with access to health care. We find that living in disadvantaged neighborhoods reduces the likelihood of having a usual source of care and of obtaining recommended preventive services, while it increases the likelihood of having unmet medical need. These associations are not explained by the supply of health care providers. Furthermore, though controlling for individual-level characteristics reduces the association between neighborhood disadvantage and access to health care, a significant association remains. This suggests that when individuals who are disadvantaged are concentrated into specific areas, disadvantage becomes an "emergent characteristic " of those areas that predicts the ability of residents to obtain health care.

An ecological analysis of after-school program participation and the development of academic performance and motivational attributes for disadvantaged children.

Abstract: This longitudinal study evaluated after-school program (ASP) participation and the development of academic performance (school grades, reading achievement) and teacher-rated motivational attributes (expectancy of success, effectance motivation) over a school year. Participants were 599 boys and girls (6.3 to 10.6 years) from an urban, disadvantaged city in the United States. An ecological analysis of after-school arrangements identified 4 patterns of care: ASP care, parent care, combined parent/self-sibling care, and combined other-adult/self-sibling care. Aspects of academic performance and motivational attributes were significantly higher (p<.05) at the end of the school year for children in ASP care compared with those in the 3 alternative patterns of care. Differences were marked for children rated as highly engaged in ASP activities.

The rhetoric and reality of gap closing: when the "have-nots" gain but the "haves" gain even more .

Abstract: Many forms of intervention, across different domains, have the surprising effect of widening preexisting gaps between disadvantaged youth and their advantaged counterparts—if such interventions are made available to all students, not just to the disadvantaged. Whether this widening of gaps is incongruent with American interests and values requires an awareness of this gap-widening potential when interventions are universalized and a national policy that addresses the psychological, political, economic, and moral dimensions of elevating the top students—tomorrow’s business and science leaders—and/or elevating the bottom students to redress past inequalities and reduce the future costs associated with them. This article is a first step in bringing this dilemma to the attention of scholars and policymakers and prodding a national discussion.

Community Networks: Where Offline Communities Meet Online

Abstract: This study explores the design and practice of the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV), a mature networked community. We describe findings from longitudinal survey data on the use and social impact of community computer networking. The survey data show that increased involvement with people, issues and community since going online is explained by education, extroversion and age. Using path models, we show that a person's sense of belonging and collective efficacy, group memberships, activism and social use of the Internet act as mediating variables. These findings extend evidence in support of the argument that Internet use can strengthen social contact, community engagement and attachment. Conversely, it underlines concern about the impact of computer networking on people with lower levels of education, extroversion, efficacy, and community belonging. We suggest design strategies and innovative tools for non-experts that might increase social interaction and improve usability for disadvantaged and underrepresented individuals and groups.

Why Don't They Just Get Married? Barriers to Marriage among the Disadvantaged

Abstract: Summary Kathryn Edin and Joanna Reed review recent research on social and economic barriers to marriage among the poor and discuss the efficacy of efforts by federal and state policymakers to promote marriage among poor unmarried couples, especially those with children, in light of these findings. Social barriers include marital aspirations and expectations, norms about childbearing, financial standards for marriage, the quality of relationships, an aversion to divorce, and children by other partners. Edin and Reed note that disadvantaged men and women highly value marriage but believe they are currently unable to meet the high standards of relationship quality and financial stability they believe are necessary to sustain a marriage and avoid divorce. Despite their regard for marriage, however, poor Americans do not view it as a prerequisite for childbearing, and it is typical for either or both parents in an unmarried-couple family to have a child by another partner. Economic barriers include men’s low earnings, women’s earnings, and the marriage tax. In view of these findings, Edin and Reed argue that public campaigns to convince poor Americans of the value of marriage are preaching to the choir. Instead, campaigns should emphasize the benefits for children of living with both biological parents and stress the harmful effects for children of high-conflict parental relationships. Programs to improve relationship quality must address head-on the significant problems many couple face. Because disadvantaged men and women view some degree of financial stability as a prerequisite for marriage, policymakers must address the instability and low pay of the jobs they typically hold as well as devise ways to promote homeownership and other asset development to encourage marriage. Moreover, programs need to help couples meet the challenges of parenting families where children are some combination of his, hers, and theirs. Encouraging more low-income couples to marry without giving them tools to help their marriages thrive may simply increase the divorce rate.

Exploring Resiliency: Academic Achievement among Disadvantaged Black Youth in South Africa:

Abstract: This study attempted to understand how a group of black youth in South Africa who experienced poverty achieved academic success and demonstrated a resilient trajectory. Through a qualitative research design that included ethnographic interviewing, case studies and observation, an insider's perspective was gained. This method was chosen for its ability to generate rich descriptive accounts and use multiple data sources. The results of this study indicated that this group of black students who achieved academic success in South Africa was high achieving, had strong initiative and motivation, was goal orientated and experienced the self as having agency. The atmosphere in the family, usually characterised by strong support also influenced a resilient response. Relationships with teachers, role models and supportive community members were viewed as protective factors. The findings of this research are helpful for educators; in the formulation of child and family policy, and for future comparative studies.

Job Insecurity and Health-Related Outcomes among Different Types of Temporary Workers

Abstract: Over the past few decades, the number of flexible workers has increased, a situation that has captured researchers’ attention. Traditionally, temporary workers were portrayed as being disadvantaged...

Participatory democracy in action: survey evidence from south india

Abstract: We use household and village survey data from South India to examine who participates in village meetings called by elected local governments, and what effect these meetings have on beneficiary selection for welfare programs. Our main finding is that it is the more disadvantaged social groups who attend village meetings and that holding such meetings improves the targeting of resources towards the neediest groups. (JEL: H40, H42, O20)

The Charter School Dust-Up: Examining the Evidence on Enrollment and Achievement

Abstract: 1 The reaction to the AFT's report on charter school scores 2 Can the 'dust-up' lead to a new consensus in education research and policy? 3 Problems with the critiques of the NAEP report by charter school supporters 4 Are charter school students more disadvantaged than regular public school students, and does this explain charter schools' unexpectedly low NAEP scores? 5 What we know about relative charter and regular public school student achievement 6 The philosophy of charter schools 7 Conclusion Appendix A Using different standards for evaluating charter and regular public schools Appendix B Alternative presentations of NAEP charter school demographic data

Healthy marriage programs: learning what works.

Abstract: Summary Evidence of public and private interest in programs designed to strengthen the institution of marriage and reduce the number of children growing up without both their parents is growing. Robin Dion addresses the question of whether such programs can be effective, especially among disadvantaged populations. She begins by describing a variety of marriage education programs. Although new to the social welfare umbrella, such programs have existed for several decades. Social scientists have evaluated a number of these programs and found them effective in improving relationship satisfaction and communication among romantically involved couples. All the programs tested so far, however, have served primarily white, middle-class, well-educated couples who were engaged or already married. Because these programs were neither designed for nor tested with disadvantaged populations, Dion observes, there is some question whether they can respond to the unique needs and circumstances of low-income couples, many of whom have multiple stressors and life challenges that can make stable relationships and marriages especially difficult. New research suggests that lowincome families often face specific relationship issues that are rarely addressed in the standard programs, such as lingering effects of prior sexual abuse, lower levels of trust and commitment, and lack of exposure to positive role models for marriage. Dion describes the recent efforts of several groups to adapt research-supported marriage education programs or create entirely new curriculums so they are more responsive to and respectful of the needs of low-income families. Finally, Dion describes ongoing efforts by the Administration for Children and Families to evaluate rigorously the effectiveness of several healthy marriage initiative models being implemented on a large scale across the country. These evaluations will determine whether such programs can work with less advantaged and more culturally diverse families, including whether the impacts on couples’ relationships will translate into positive effects on the well-being of their children.

Attention in preschoolers: associations with effortful control and motivation.

Abstract: The current study examined how individual differences in children's temperament and motivation relate to attention skills in children from economically disadvantaged families. A total of 73 mother-child dyads participated in this study. Children were between the ages of 3 and 5, and all attended a Head Start program. Using multiple hierarchical regression analyses, the hypotheses that effortful control (an aspect of temperament) and motivation would individually and collectively relate to attention skills were supported. The current study supports the importance of understanding attention as a multifaceted concept (Posner & Petersen, 1990) that relates to cognitive, socioemotional, and motivational systems. The utility of applying a systems approach to school readiness issues in children of poverty is discussed.

Assessment of personal qualities in relation to admission to medical school.

Abstract: Keywords: education;medical;undergraduate/*standards;school admission criteria/*standards;personality;social class;psychometrics/ education. Background: Recently there has been much scrutiny of the medical school admissions process by universities, the General Medical Council and the public. Improved objectivity, fairness and effectiveness of selection procedures are desirable. The ultimate outcome sought is the graduation of competent doctors who reflect the values of and are in tune with the communities they serve. Methods: Applicants to the Scottish medical schools sat a battery of psychometric tests to measure cognitive ability, personality traits and moral/ethical reasoning (Personal Qualities Assessment, PQA). Analysis determined the potential impact of the latter variables, and those of educational background and socioeconomic class (assessed by residential ‘deprivation category’), upon success in gaining a place to study medicine. Results: Cognitive ability did not vary significantly as a function of gender or educational background, although there was a trend for it to be lower in individuals from more deprived backgrounds. Women as a group were more empathic, with a greater communitarian orientation, than men. There was no significant difference between individuals attending independent and state-funded schools in respect of any of the qualities measured by the PQA. Applicants from deprived backgrounds and those attending state-funded schools would not be disadvantaged by an admissions process based on the PQA. Conclusion: The incorporation of an assessment tool such as the PQA may have positive implications for widening access and the objective selection of suitable medical students, resulting in the training of doctors who are more representative of the community at large. A longterm follow-up of the professional careers of those medical students who completed the PQA will be undertaken.

Resilient teenagers: Explaining the high educational aspirations of visible-minority youth in Canada

Abstract: While previous studies show that visible minority and immigrant students are disadvantaged within the school system, findings from a national Canadian survey of 15-year old students and their parents indicate that visible-minority immigrant students nevertheless have higher educational aspirations than Canadian-born nonvisible minority students. Using the 2000 Youth in Transition survey, this paper examines sociodemographic, social psychological, and school performance factors that help explain much of the difference in aspirations between these groups. We conclude by identifying areas of future research that could further uncover the family, school, and community processes that shape aspirations and the relationships between aspirations and future educational and occupational attainment.

Why Political Reservations

Abstract: Many countries are amending their political systems to set aside positions to groups, such as women and racial or religious minorities, that are perceived as being disadvantaged. Using evidence from India, this article assesses the case for these reservations. (JEL: H4, O15) Several countries have introduced procedures—either explicit quotas or forms of gerrymandering—to ensure political representation of disadvantaged groups, such as women or ethnic minorities. In 2001, quotas for women in parliaments were in force in more than 30 countries. In India, seats are reserved for historically disadvantaged groups (Scheduled Castes, or SC, and Scheduled Tribes, or ST) in federal or state legislative assemblies and for both historically disadvantaged groups and women at all levels of the Panchayat system, the system of decentralized decision making. On the basis of evidence accumulated about the Indian experience, this paper reviews the case for reservation.

Field of Study and Students' Stratification in an Expanded System of Higher Education: The Case of Israel

Abstract: The paper examines the hypothesis that the opportunities that the expansion and diversification of higher education open to members of disadvantaged groups depend on field of study. The study is based on a survey conducted in 1999 on a sample of 4061 Israeli freshmen in the research universities and the academic colleges, which are often perceived as the second tier of higher education. Using multinomial logistic regression we compared socio-demographic characteristics and academic ability of university and college students within seven major fields of study. The main findings are as follows: The colleges increase the relative odds of disadvantaged groups of studying less selective fields, or selective fields that get different curricula and academic degrees at the colleges. College and university students who study the selective fields where both institutional types offer equivalent programmes carry a similar social profile. Control for academic ability does not change that pattern. We conclude that the expansion of higher education in Israel reduces inequality in enrolment mainly in the fields that carry limited social advantages. Our findings are consistent with Lucas’s (2001) claim that privileged groups look for qualitative advantages in differentiated educational systems.

Rethinking Parent Involvement: African American Mothers Construct their Roles in the Mathematics Education of their Children

Abstract: This article presents initial findings from a study that examined how African American mothers from a low-income neighborhood conceptualized their roles in their children's mathematics learning. Based on interviews and observations focusing on ten mothers' involvement in their children's education, we offer a framework that expands typical characterizations of parent involvement. This framework privileges practices that are both traditionally visible and invisible to the school and highlights how parents act as "intellectual resources" in their children's education (Civil, Guevara, & Allexsaht-Snider, 2002). Our findings offer evidence that traditional understandings of parent involvement may overlook ways that low-income parents deliberately involve themselves in their children's education. Our findings also identify challenges that these parents face in relation to their children's mathematics education. Some of these challenges were due in part to stereotypes held by practitioners about the families they serve in low-income urban schools. Key Words: parent involvement, parental beliefs, mathematics reform, elementary school mathematics, home-school relationships, race/ethnicity/SES Introduction In recent years, educational reform efforts seeking to reach children in lowincome communities have resulted in a surge of calls for "parental involvement" in education (Mattingly, Prislin, McKenzie, Rodriquez, & Kayzar, 2002; No Child Left Behind Act, 2001; Peressini, 1998). While there is disagreement among researchers, policy makers, and practitioners over what comprises parental involvement (Lewis & Forman, 2002; Mattingly et al.), these calls are grounded in notions that parental involvement may improve student achievement, produce lower drop-out rates, foster positive attitudes toward learning and school, increase parent-child communication, promote positive student behaviors, enhance the educational experiences of "disadvantaged" students, increase home and community support for schools, and be a basic "right" of all parents in the process of public education. (Peressini, 1998, p. 557) Despite current research on parent involvement that challenges the assumption that parents are problems to be overcome (e.g., Barton, Drake, Perez, St. Louis, & George, 2004; Civil, 2001; Civil, Guevara, & Allexsaht-Snider, 2002; Fine, 1993; Henry, 1996; Trumbull, Rothstein-Fisch, & Hernandez, 2004; Vincent, 1996), the idea that parents, particularly those from lowincome communities, are deficits to their children remains in circulation in schools (e.g., see Epstein & Dauber, 1991; Lawson, 2003, on teachers' perceptions of low-income parents). In the area of mathematics education, there are few attempts to systematically involve parents in their children's mathematics learning (Epstein & Dauber, 1991; Peressini, 1998, 1996). Further, particularly in the mathematics education literature, parents are "portrayed as stumbling blocks for reform" as "their beliefs about learning and mathematics [are thought to] actually reinforce their children's failure in mathematics" (Peressini, 1998, p. 567; see also Lehrer & Shumow, 1997). In this literature, parents are depicted as either (a) not understanding mathematics themselves, (b) not understanding their children's mathematics and thus characterizing their children's work as "wrong," (c) not interested in their children's (math) learning, or (d) resistant to change. Critics of deficit views of parents, on the other hand, call on schools to view parents as "intellectual resources" for their children (Civil et al., 2002, p. 1756). Civil and her colleagues highlight mathematical practices embedded in the daily activities of low-income, Latino parents and assist teachers and schools in integrating them into the mathematics curriculum. Building on this perspective, our research explores the ways parents can and do act as resources for their children's education. …

Inter-agency Information Sharing in Health and Social Care Services: The Role of Professional Culture

Abstract: Sue Richardson is now a research student in the School of Sociology, Politics and Law, University of Plymouth. Sue has conducted university-based research into organizational behaviour for more than 25 years. Having researched partnership working in the Plymouth Health Action Zone as a research fellow with the University of Plymouth, she has now been awarded a studentship from the Economic and Social Research Council to investigate information-sharing issues in health and social care partnerships. Sheena Asthana is Professor of Health Policy at the University of Plymouth. Among her research interests is a focus on the role of partnership working and community involvement in the planning and delivery of health and social exclusion projects. She has directed research evaluating the role of partnership working in a wide range of local projects including those targeting vulnerable children and young people, older people, disadvantaged communities and service access problems. Summary This article uses a literature review to examine the ways in which professional culture might shape inter-organizational exchange of personal information in a health and social care context. The aim is to explore a simplified model of possible informationsharing behaviours (‘ideal’, ‘over-open’, ‘over-cautious’ and ‘chaotic’) and to suggest that patterns of information sharing may be influenced by a number of factors. It is proposed that these factors include not only inter-professional differences in the approach taken to information sharing but also the ways in which the professions interrelate.

Factors That Affect The Retention Of Managerial And Specialist Staff: An Exploratory Study Of An Employee Commitment Model

Abstract: A study about the factors affecting the retention of managerial and specialist staff was conducted amongst the 120 highest paid employees of two banks. The response rate was 86%. The study investigated the Veldsman Employee Commitment model. The study also explored whether retention factor differences exist amongst biographical groupings. Various differences were identified between previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) and non-PDIs, male and female, service tenure groups and age groups.

New Modes of Reproducing Social Inequality in Education: The Changing Role of Parents, Teachers, Schools and Educational Policies:

Abstract: This article is based on the Keynote Address to the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), Crete, Greece, 21-25 September 2004. One of the most consistent results in sociology of education research has been the existence of inequalities in school results and educational trajectories related to social factors. Despite an important increase in number of years of schooling for all children in most European countries in the post-war period, research still shows important differences between social and ethnic groups and even a widening of the gap between the most advantaged and most disadvantaged in some countries. Factors shown by previous studies to account for these differences are still at work, but many of them are influential in new ways. In addition to this, new factors have to be taken into account. Using available sociological literature on European countries, while focusing specifically on France as an exemplary case, this article presents some of the new constraints on and opportunities for action by parents, teachers and schools that result from both economic, cultural and educational changes and recent policy orientations.