In this column, the author uses the analogy of baseball to describe the lives of gifted children as a vehicle to think about similarities and differences. The author states that he has experienced how educators often gloss over the powerful and all-inclusive living conditions of high-ability students from financially impoverished backgrounds. In…

In this article, the author discusses the demographic trends affecting America's public schools. As an expert on empirical evaluation of education, the author believes the major debates over vouchers, charter schools, bilingual education, and other issues are not really about preparing the next generation to compete with China or India, or about…

This report provides statistical evidence of worsening conditions facing Puerto Ricans in America in the areas of (1) unemployment, (2) poverty, (3) demographics, and (4) education. It concludes with recommendations from the National Puerto Rican Forum. The unemployment rate for Puerto Ricans is the highest among Hispanic population groups. The…

Criticizes the accuracy of the methodology currently used by the Australian Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs for identifying socioeconomic status of higher education students. Proposes new individually based measures related to the occupation and education of parents when the student was in high school. (Author/DB)

Suggests that recent social changes and trends make it imperative to include demographics of all kinds in research on child development. Proposes guidelines to help child development researchers procure demographic information from their study population. Provides specific questions that may help researchers devise demographic indicators, and…

Comments on the ideas presented by Entwisle and Astone in this issue. Suggests that to produce sound measurements of children's socioeconomic background requires a substantial investment in coding, data collection, and management. Nevertheless, a standard set of racial-ethnic and socioeconomic variables, no matter how well measured, cannot serve…

The African American woman has commanded widespread public attention, but popular misconceptions of her socioeconomic role and status differ sharply from her actual situation. The following basic characteristics of the contemporary African American woman, drawn from census figures, are outlined: (1) demographically, females comprise a majority of…

This paper examines the socioeconomic issues pertaining to the education of Filipino Americans. The first section reviews the development of this ethnic group through the 1970s and the experience of the first wave of immigrants. Secondly, the socioeconomic status of the second wave and the characteristics of professionals involved in the post-1965…

Describes characteristics of elderly Asian/Pacific Americans in the United States national population and in Denver, Colorado. Suggests that compared to Whites, Asian elderly are less satisfied with life; less adjusted to old age; more likely to perceive discrimination; and less able to feel that they control their lives. (Author/MJL)

The paper, originally given at a 1986 Ethnic and Multicultural Symposium, looks at special education and the changing society in terms of ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, birth rate, and school completion. Current and emerging demographic characteristics are related to special education policy, organization, training, research, and…

Three major demographic trends (immigration patterns, dissolution of the traditional family structure, and the emerging age profile of the United States population) and three social trends (socioeconomic polarization, growing importance of the Pacific Rim countries to American trade, and new communications technology) are examined as they affect…

This report summarizes the proceedings of a seminar which was organized to promote discussion on ways to influence the long-term direction and benefits that new technological developments in the media of communication and information exchange might have on the educational, employment, and general socioeconomic needs of a growing Hispanic…

In this bulletin, recent demographic and socioeconomic trends among American blacks are reviewed and compared with trends among whites. The report includes information on black population growth and composition; rural-urban distribution; fertility and family planning practice; mortality; migration; family structure and marital status; education;…

Taken together, the contents of this document provide a picture of the Puerto Rican community, both on the mainland and on the island, in the mid-1980s. First, a brief overview of the Puerto Rican community is provided. Next, a demographic profile compares Puerto Ricans on the mainland with those on the island and both with the general U.S.…

In the last 20 years, there has been a significant growth in the participation of adults in education and learning experiences, and a parallel growth in the awareness of the needs and desires of adults vis-a-vis education. The reasons for this growth include (1) the aging of the U.S. population; (2) the changing role of women in society; and (3)…