One of the most powerful but neglected supports for children's learning and development is family involvement both in and out of school. Over 40 years of steadily accumulating evidence show that family involvement is one of the strongest predictors of children's school success, and that families play pivotal roles in their children's cognitive,…

Examines each section of the Task Force on the Role and Future of Minorities' 1996 report that was delivered to the American Education Research Association (AERA) Council. Discusses Historical Context of Diversity Efforts in AERA; Changing Demographics, Epistemologies, and Ideologies; Inventory of Concerns; and Task Force Recommendations. (GR)

Examination of the social science knowledge base relative to Afro-Americans indicates that the social sciences traditionally have attempted to understand the life experiences of socially diverse groups through a narrow cultro/ethnocentric perspective and against an equally narrow standard. (Author/GC)

Universities are being faced with the problem of how they can best carry out their functions and pursue standards of academic excellence with youth who, because of social, economic and educational disadvantages, deviate markedly from traditional academic norms. Many institutions have initiated special programs or practices designed for these…

This report focuses on students who are underrepresented in the high academic achievement pool by calling attention to the important role that relational data management systems can play in educational decision making, particularly with regard to how they can be applied to closing the academic achievement gap. After explaining the need for data…

The present social and political climate is marked by an increasing appreciation of human diversity and of society's need to accommodate such diversity. The social context for testing is thus fundamentally different from that in which standardized testing developed. Testing should now be more concerned with facilitating equal opportunity.…

Problems of educability, analysis of learning situations, importance of home environment, nutrition, health, plasticity of intellect, importance of affect, importance of shared purposes, control of decision-making, importance of social class mix, and the relevance of schooling are among the issues discussed. (AM)

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation decision. Yet despite half a century of efforts to improve educational opportunities for African American students and other minorities, a large achievement gap persists. By 12th grade, the average African American and…

A mission of public schools is to produce students who are intellectually competent and prepared for postsecondary education and the increasingly competitive workforce. An urgent concern among education takeholders today is the underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans among high-achieving students. Despite…

Asserts that we must look beyond color to other causes of social division, particularly income disparities, in order to rectify present inequities in education and society. Suggests a program of affirmative development in addition to affirmative action. (EV)

The use and problems associated with standardized tests are not only technical, but also involve philosophical and moral issues such as "what it is that we want education to be," and "what are the behaviors and goals of educators and learners that we are willing to encourage." (Author/AM)

A radical change in admissions policies must be made to bring more of the weaker students into strong institutions and to make small institutions serve more of the stronger students. (IR)

The most pressing problems of research on minority groups have not received adequate attention. One such problem is that of identification and understanding of the mechanisms of learning facility and learning dysfunction and the implications of both for the optimum development of heterogeneous populations. Secondly, in contrast to the body of…

Examines several problems posed for empirical and theoretical research by the achievement of hegemony by one culture or system of thought over others. Discusses minority underrepresentation and its impact on knowledge production in education and the social sciences. Questions the universal utility of some highly respected tenets of science. (JS)