"The Impact of Tracking: An Examination of Outcomes"

Alfred Joseph

Miami University, Ohio

Abstract: The educational practice of tracking (ability grouping) is a widespread and controversial practice in the nation's schools. The charge has been made that poor, working-class and especially African-American schoolchildren are adversely impacted by this school policy. Critics believe that lower track children are adversely impacted by this school policy. Critics believe that lower track children are not given the type of knowledge and instruction that allows for social mobility. Using a sample from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the author compares outcomes of 1900 tracked students. Results show that more than just the placement in academic tracks impacts outcomes for these young people. Race and class of origin are critical factors for life outcomes and also impact on who gets placed in which academic tracks.

"Bringing Everyday Life to Policy Analysis: The Case of White Rural Women Negotiating College and Welfare"

Nancy A. Naples

University of California, Irvine

Abstract: This article demonstrates how contradictions in the welfare state are revealed when women on welfare engage with the policies and practices of higher education. Drawing upon Dorothy Smith's feminist materialist standpoint theory, I demonstrate the value of an "everyday world" analysis of policy implementation for uncovering hidden dimensions of state activity as it is manifest in the daily lives of women on welfare. Analysis is based upon in-depth interviews and focus group meetings with white women from rural communities receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children and enrolled in PROMISE JOBS, Iowa's response to the Family Support Act (FSA) of 1988. FSA was the first welfare program to provide resources for women on public assistance to advance towards a four year college degree. However, the contradictions between mandatory work-to-welfare ("work fare")approaches and higher education act as constraints upon the academic success of women on welfare. When we make these constraints visible, we also reveal hidden work women perform to negotiate the multiple policy arenas throughout their daily lives.

"Clinton's Domestic Policy Makers: Big Business, Think Tanks, and Welfare Reform"

Eric Swank

Morehead State University

Abstract: The concept of "welfare dependency" is a hot topic in political circles. Although pending Republican plans have seized much attention, the reform stage was recently occupied by President Clinton. This paper examines Clinton's welfare reform proposal (the 1994 Work and Responsibility Act). The article reviews the Act's objectives before it explores the process in which the Act was formed. Moreover, the paper focuses on the variable of "decision making inclusiveness." Driven by the "who wrote the policy" question, the study inspects the social backgrounds of Clinton's domestic policy makers. In the end, this analysis shows that the policy formation process was governed by an elite group of corporate executives, think tank intellectuals, and establishment lawyers.

"Decreasing Educational Segregation in Urban Schools to Reduce Risks Associated with Poverty: Current Reform Needs"

John A. Kovach

Pennsylvania State University

Abstract: This paper focuses on the problem of educational segregation within schools and shows how the continued use of categorical, "pull-out" programs exacerbates risks associated with poverty. It is suggested that educational segregation, as it disproportionately effects minority and poor children, is perhaps the civil rights issue facing the United States today due to increased diversity and worsening poverty in the inner cities. A strategy for systemic reform in schools is presented which is connected to the context of community as well as to efforts for long-term structural change. Reform recommendations are introduced that are linked to suggestions for collaborative political work and community organizing which could be used to effectively impact educational equity issues related to both segregation and poverty. Last, prospects for change during the remainder of the decade are analyzed with attention being directed toward the political mood of the mid-1990s and continued economic decline. It is suggested that contrary to pundits who see this period as one where radical change is almost impossible, we are currently facing a window of opportunity where the historical circumstances are ideal for significant reforms which could lead to increased educational equity for poor children and youth.