This report summarizes preliminary and exploratory research conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools and the American Institutes for Research on urban school systems participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The study is one of the first large-scale analyses…

Studies the relationship between academic achievement and inter-racial friendship development in Springfield (Massachusetts) elementary schools. Concludes that integration suffers because achievement plays an increasingly important role in friendship as a student moves through school. (FMW)

This report describes the extent of student suspension at the state and district levels in Massachusetts during 1988-89. Suspension removes a student from participation in school activities for up to 10 consecutive days. Suspensions are classified as either "out-of-school," during which students are prohibited from attending school, or…

The 7th edition of this publication provides updated projections of high school graduates for each year and each state (plus the District of Columbia) through 2022. The profile breaks down the projections by major racial and ethnic groups: (1) American Indian/Alaska Native; (2) Asian/Pacific Islander; (3) Black, non-Hispanic; (4) Hispanic; and (5)…

To create an education pipeline capable of moving all students through to an advanced level of skills and credentials and connecting young adults to the well-paying jobs being created in Massachusetts, two challenges deserve the special and immediate attention of state leaders: (1) Substantially increasing the percentage of the state's low-income,…

Increasing numbers of low-income children are receiving regular nonparental care, yet knowledge is limited regarding whether child care settings meet the needs of low-income children and their parents. Using a sample of low-income, predominantly African-American and Hispanic children and families from low-income neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago,…

This report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) presents results from the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in mathematics. Representative samples of between 1,800 and 4,300 fourth- and eighth-grade public school students from 18 urban districts participated in the 2009 assessment. Eleven of the districts also…

The acquisition of Spanish as a first language was investigated in a study of eight Puerto Rican children ranging in age from 17-39 months. The speech of the four children studied in Puerto Rico was analyzed in detail and compared with that of the four children taped in Boston. The children's speech was taped in natural situations and analyzed in…

Drawing from social disorganization theory, this study examined how perceived neighborhood conditions modified associations between parenting and delinquency, depressive symptoms, and school problem behavior among more than 800 African American and Latino 10- to 14-year-olds participating in Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study.…

This report presents basic data about Latino students in the public schools of Massachusetts. Recent population data on Latino youth and public school enrollment are presented, highlighting the areas of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where Latinos are densely concentrated. The report then considers the achievement of Latino students in the…

Using Massachusetts as a case study, calls into question some of the common sense approaches to education reform and discusses how political-economic ideologies embedded in high-stakes testing adversely affect Latinos and obfuscate the growing social inequalities in U.S. society. Argues that educational opportunity programs are the missing link…

This study examines tracking--the practice of grouping students into separate classes or courses based on their prior academic achievement--at the middle-school level, and the percentage of high-achieving students in tracked and untracked schools. It focuses on Massachusetts, a leader in "reforming" tracking, and the changes that have…

This preliminary report of the Massachusetts Commission on Hispanic Affairs presents information on the issues and priorities of the state's Latino community. It begins with a brief description of the commission's methodology, summarizes testimonies on Hispanic concerns gathered during public hearings held in 1984 and 1985 in Springfield, Boston,…

This evaluation research report describes a program originally implemented to meet the needs of English dominant Hispanic students in an urban junior high school. The report combines qualitative and quantitative data in order to provide an understanding of the relationship of program goals, implementation procedures, and effects and delineates…

A program for gifted Hispanic children in the Worcester, Massachusetts, public schools is designed to increase participants' exposure to cultural and community resources, encourage creativity and imagination, and foster language and literacy skills. Potential participants are identified by bilingual teachers and by peer, parent, and…