The primary objective of this paper is to present the outcome of an evaluation of the effect of the implementation of a learning community on the academic performance and academic involvement (attendance) of 50 urban African American freshmen who had been identified as at highest risk for academic failure. The learning community, the…

This study examined the relationship between self-concept variables and academic achievement in 72 African American inner-city high school students. The self-concept variable of particular interest was racial self-concept, those perceptions about the self that develop as a result of racial identity. The hypothesis that racial and global…

The efficacy of signifying, a form of social discourse in the African American community, as a scaffold for teaching skills in literary interpretation was demonstrated with 52 urban high school students in an experimental group and 25 controls. Skill in signifying and social knowledge showed positive correlations with achievement. (SLD)

The effects were assessed of a test coaching program for urban Black youth, who intended to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), on their performance on quantitative items. Findings for 116 program participants are discussed in relation to the improvement of supplemental instructional programs. (TJH)

The motivation to learn of African American high school students was examined by asking them about their favorite and least favorite classes. Two hundred and seventy-five students attending three urban high schools were randomly selected from their history classes to respond to a questionnaire on their perceptions of ability, goals, and reasons…

Teachers' beliefs related to teaching practices, knowledge, and social relations in and beyond the classroom were studied in urban schools serving African American children primarily. Two hundred forty-four teachers from six schools completed surveys about their beliefs. Of these teachers, 94% taught grades kindergarten through five, and 10%…

This experiment was designed to assess whether the expected and actual performance of black and white students on an academic task would be differentially affected by the race of the successful models observed. Since males and females might not be equally influenced by the modeling effects, separate analyses were planned for males and females of…

A study of highly aggressive African American boys sought to understand the effect of an attribution retraining program designed to reduce aggressive males' tendency to attribute hostile intentions to peers following ambiguous, negative interactions. One hundred and one African American aggressive and non-aggressive elementary school boys in Los…

This paper suggests that space and spatiality are major features of racial identity and the formation of student resistance. It brings together critical studies of "Whiteness," human territoriality, and theories of resistance in education. The problems between white teachers and students of color can be understood better through a combination of…

The Erikson Psychosocial Inventory (EPSI) (Rosenthal, Gurney, and Moore, 1981) was introduced into a longitudinal study of 234 previously studied inner-city children as they were scheduled to make the transition from elementary to junior high school. Compared to the EPSI original Australian sample, inner-city African American 12- and 13-year-olds…

Reasons for the disproportionate failure rate of young urban African American males were studied in an ethnographic study of third- and sixth-grade classrooms in a low-income African American community. The multimethod approach involved observing classroom sessions and school activities, interviewing students and teachers, and examining…

A study looked at how a science and mathematics intervention program for middle school girls, the "Voices" program, affected African American students and their families. Effects of the program on academic achievement and participation and persistence in school were also studied. The Voices program was implemented in one urban and one rural county…

The understandings of and interest in the environment of children in an inner-city black community were studied. To investigate their environmental moral reasoning, children's evaluations and supporting justifications were assessed regarding a hypothetical scenario that involved polluting a local waterway. Seventy-two children, 12 males and 12…

African American youth, although they comprise only 6% of the U.S. population, rank first for incarceration and homicide. In West Tennessee, the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County Report indicated that African American male youths were likely to become delinquent early in the second grade, were six times as likely to be referred on…

The impact of three family life education courses for black, inner-city, junior high school students was the topic of this study. A total of 172 students in 7th and 8th grades participated in experimental and control groups. The programs varied in their intensity; students in the experimental group met for 40 minutes once a week for 15 weeks…