d math achievement. Once these studies are reviewed, the final section of the report will examine article related to recommendations for making changes in compensatory education program that will improve program functioning.
Compensatory Education Programs:Evaluative Studies
Several types of compensatory programs have been implemented and evaluated over the years. For young children, one of the earliest program types was the head start program which aimed at remediating academic disadvantages in the preschool and kindergarten years. According to Lee (1990), with respect to long-term results, these programs were not so much associated with improved achievement in subject areas such as reading and math as they were associated with improvement in general cognitive and analytic ability.
Thompson (1989) evaluated a compensatory education program aimed specifically at Black and Hispanic girls entering the 7th and 8th grades in Chicago's public schools. The program lasted five weeks and included the following components: (1) mathematics, science, and communication skills; (2) character development; (3) fine arts; (4) team sports; (5) personal counseling; and (6) field trips.
Evaluative data collected with respect to the program revealed significant gains in teens' levels of self-esteem; however, these improvements were only for 7th grade blacks and 8th grade Hispanics. Thompson noted that about 20 percent of the girls reported increases in their self-confidence and, overall, 8th graders showed improved feelings about their academic classes.
Some compensatory education efforts involve entire schools. For example, Christner (1990) reported on a Texas project involving returning minority children to 16 of their neighborhood schools, and then improving school services. Components of improvement included such programs as: full-day kindergarten; lowered student to teacher ratios; extra office support etc.
The five year ...