The current study presents a growth curve analysis of self-esteem among Black, Latino, and Asian American high school students. A series of hierarchical linear models were used to examine patterns and predictors of change in self-esteem over time. Results revealed an average increase in self-esteem with age. Although boys and girls experienced…

This article discusses the continuing growth of student participation in the Advanced Placement program and how schools increasingly recast the program as being within reach of any student willing to do the work, regardless of academic standing. The Advanced Placement program was established in 1955 to give high-achieving students access to…

One of the generally accepted premises of current economic thinking is that a large and expanding proportion of growth is tied to what has come to be known as the "knowledge economy" or equivalently, the innovation sector. Despite recent U.S. Census Bureau data indicating that Latinos now constitute the largest minority group of the U.S.…

This article seeks to locate hip-hop in the realm of popular culture in education. Through the use of song lyrics, the author suggests the use of rap music to provide context for the humanities and social sciences in secondary curriculum. Using a theoretical and practical lens, the article argues for the use of hip-hop and other elements of…

Research indicates that lower levels of school commitment may be one potential outcome of policy initiatives such as high-stakes testing and exit exams. Such outcomes may lead these policy initiatives to have unintended consequences for students, particularly racial or ethnic minority students. This study examines whether race or ethnicity…

More than ever before, educators across the United States are enabling a wider and more ethnically diverse proportion of students to achieve success in AP[R]. Significant inequities, however, which jeopardize traditionally underserved students' chances at college success, remain. This "Report" uses a combination of state, national, and…

This brochure highlights two successful ENLACE partnership programs that connect college aspirations with actual college attainment for Latino students: (1) The "ENLACE y Avance" (Advance) partnership, led by the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), whose innovative program of family home visits provides information about…

The author of this article was a teacher, who had taught high school English for seven years. Then she was a researcher, observing and interviewing, recording and reflecting. One incident, stretching over four class periods, took her back across that divide between teacher and researcher, and touched her personally. She was trying to understand…

This article deals with the report, entitled "State High School Exit Exams: A Maturing Reform", that addressed the achievement gaps that exist for minority and English language learner (ELL) populations. In this article, the author shows how Hispanics and ELLs lag behind Caucasians in terms of passing percentage in different subject areas. The…

The Latino student presently faces many obstacles to achieve educational equity and excellence at the high school level. This article examines academic programming for Latino middle and high school English language learners (ELLs) and provides recommendations for addressing programming that promotes biliteracy policy and programming as a valued…

The fit of J. L. Holland's (1959, 1997) RIASEC model to U.S. racial-ethnic groups was assessed using circular unidimensional scaling. Samples of African American, Asian American, Caucasian American and Hispanic American high school students and employed adults who completed either the UNIACT Interest Inventory (K. B. Swaney, 1995) or the Strong…

This study examines school and work barrier beliefs about the limitations of education for future career rewards and perceived supports for attaining the educational and career aspirations of low-income, inner-city, African American, Hispanic/Latino(a), and Caribbean immigrant youth. The authors find that higher levels of school and work barrier…

Four-hundred and eight 14 to 19-year-old adolescents in grades 9 through 12 participated in this study. The Adolescent Anger Rating Scale was used to assess differences in expressed anger among participants. Specific styles of anger were measured: reactive, instrumental, and anger control. Results of this study suggest that males demonstrate…

Recent studies and personal narratives suggest a connection between the low academic achievement of Latina/o students in the United States to the lack of care they experience in schools. The author reports on a study he conducted of the Chicago-based Pedro Albizu Campos Alternative High School, focusing on the experiences of its students and…

This study examined European American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American parental involvement and their children's high school completion. An examination of how different family structures have an influence on a student's education was conducted. This study used the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988 and utilized a…