Tells the story of three African American children's responses to literature by and about African Americans, showing the importance of connecting literature to the lives and interests of children. (SR)

This study examines influences on the high reading achievement of two low-income, African American fifth graders, both girls, and both of whom lived with their grandmothers. Data came from interviews with the students, their teachers, and their custodial guardians and from observations of the students at school and at home. Results indicated that…

Intermediate-grade African-American students with developmental handicaps participated in a project to enhance their self-perceptions related to their ethnicity. As a class, the students produced an ethnic feelings book that encompassed both factual information about African Americans and students' interpretations of their ancestors' feelings…

The Children and Adolescent Pregnancy Project is a Chicago (Illinois) school-based intervention that serves pregnant teens (most either African American or Hispanic) who are either very young or have mild to moderate mental retardation. Outcome data indicate that serving these two groups together is an effective and developmentally appropriate…

Describes the reactions of a fourth grade class in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) to the death through racial violence of their hero, a sailor with whom they had corresponded during the Persian Gulf War. The intended lesson in patriotism became a lesson in racism and violence. (SLD)

In a collaborative project between School #74 in Buffalo, New York, and the Graduate School of Education at the State University in Buffalo, predominantly African American sixth graders enhance their writing skills through creative tasks. They also develop their writing voices and gain some exposure to university life. Graduate students in English…

The blues, having been fundamental to the history and heritage of African Americans, can help kids find themselves and their cultures in the language-based activities that are part of the writing program at School #74 in Buffalo, New York. One of the chapters in the student anthology which resulted from the university/school cooperative program…

This paper examines the interests, perceptions, and participation of 16 African American girls in a program designed to improve girls' persistence in science, mathematics, and technology (SMT). The girls are among 33 African American and 73 total original participants in "Rural and Urban Images: Voices of Girls in Science, Mathematics, and…

This report describes the efforts of three urban school districts participating in the Urban Schools Science and Mathematics Program (USSAMP) to enhance mathematics and science education in the middle grades and to prepare more African-American, Latino, and female students for career opportunities in technology and science. In Atlanta (Georgia),…

The Write for Your Life project allows students to examine life events that affect their health and well-being by creating spaces for them to inquire into the circumstances of their lives. This paper examines Write for Your Life in a Texas middle school with a diverse student population, focusing on three students' writing projects. (SM)

Describes a school-university collaboration that developed alternative teaching strategies for motivating inner-city, African-American middle school students (effort-based grading, multiple performance opportunities, increased student responsibility/choice, and validation of cultural differences). Observations, teacher journals, and student…

The Urban Intergenerational Outreach Education Program transferred cancer prevention from a cancer center to community and school settings, involving a university, an academic medical center, a school district, and a nonprofit arts organization. Project staff developed the culturally and developmentally appropriate curriculum for urban middle…

This grant proposal describes Project GOLD (Garfield Options for Leadership Development), an after-school and summer program designed to serve African American middle school-aged youth in Richmond, Virginia. The youths are residents of public housing, are primarily from female-headed households, and are typically at least one school year behind…