Recent findings on differential item functioning (DIF) for minority examinees (Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks) taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are presented, and the standardization approach to assessing DIF is described. Item characteristics related to DIF that generalize across ethnic groups are discussed. (SLD)

Studying the prevalence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) among American Indians and Alaskan Native populations reveals a low 1990 case rate but a rapid increase in diagnosed cases, at a rate higher than any other racial/ethnic group. Culturally sensitive prevention programs are required. (SLD)

Alternative mathematical items administered as prototypes at the spring 1989 Field Trials of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are evaluated for differential item functioning (DIF) and differential speededness. Results for Algebra Placement (AP) and Student Produced Response (SPR) items are presented and contrasted with results obtained on two…

A study investigated the college application behaviors of students from different racial/ethnic groups (Whites, African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans) to understand differences in the college search and choice process. Data were drawn from two large national longitudinal studies, the National Education Longitudinal Study (1988)…

During the summer of 1995 a group of educators in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) created an innovative program, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Summer Institute on Nonviolence, to help young people learn alternatives to violent behavior. The program was designed to train peer leaders in nonviolence so they could return to their schools and…

Legislative mandates in California and at the federal level require written parental consent for surveys of children and youth on: sexual behavior and attitudes; illegal, antisocial and criminal behavior; and psychological problems. Active parental refusal and nonresponse to requests for permission threaten the generalizability of information…

This paper considers whether ethnicity is a social construction that is constantly being recreated in a nexus of shifting social relations rather than a set of perceptions and behaviors that remain constant and stem from a youth's membership in an ethnic group. Student responses about ethnicity from a larger study of student role and engagement in…

The University of Massachusetts-Lowell's efforts to help Southeast Asian refugees reconstruct their academic credentials for teaching and further higher education are described. The program evolved in response to refugee frustration at difficulty in establishing existing teaching credentials and obtaining admission to higher education…

With the increasing recognition that connections are an important component in the pedagogy of school mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989), there is a need for a theoretical framework that addresses the ways in which the real experiences and cultural practices of students may be connected with mathematics classroom…

An ongoing research project that investigates how mathematics educators can prepare prospective and practicing teachers to cope with cultural diversity is presented. The first component of this project is investigation of the ways that students can use their cultural identities and practices in constructing mathematical ideas that belong uniquely…

Whether stratifying gender and ethnic groups according to educational variables in the examinees' backgrounds adds information to the differential item functioning (DIF) process for the verbal and quantitative sections of a graduate admission test was explored using data from a 1990 graduate admission test. DIF analyses were performed on the…

This paper examines the observable play behaviors of elementary school students to determine how children interact within and among cultural groups. Observations were conducted during the recess period at an urban elementary school attended by 623 boys and girls age 6 through 12. Recess periods and play areas were segregated by grade and sex. Data…

A study examined the experiences of 60 Japanese immigrants to Hawaii (Niseis), aged 61-80, who attended Japanese-language schools as children. Using a case study oral history approach, the study gathered oral testimonies through semi-structured interviews. Historical documents were also used as primary sources of information about the schools.…

In some areas of employment in mass communications Blacks and other minorities have made impressive gains, but in others, such as the newspaper industry, there is a distinct lack of minorities in the work force. The chance that this situation will change is highly likely because the media industries in America are finding it necessary to diversify…

In a study of academic attribution patterns, teachers were asked to suggest causes for the successes and failures of students whose backgrounds had been manipulated to provide various combinations of social class (middle, lower), race (White, Asian American), and gender. It was found that teachers cited causes internal to the student more often…