Children and Families

Since the publication of her 1988 book, Within Our Reach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage, Lisbeth B. Schorr has earned wide acclaim for highlighting the attributes of programs that have improved the outcomes of at-risk children and families.

Addressing a group of journalists last month, however, she warned that the existing piecemeal aid system "makes it impossible to maintain'' many effective programs. Despite their well-documented success, only half of the 24 programs cited in her book still exist, she noted.

Ms. Schorr, the director of the Project on Effective Services at Harvard University, stressed in an interview that many of the defunct programs have inspired more good work. But, she said, the fact they were not sustained is "a good metaphor...