Analyzes development of racial and gender homophily in a population of elementary and secondary school children in a bi-racial southern community. Using sociometric friendship nominations to examine changes in racial and gender segregation and preference, the results suggest that for these major variables the relationship between homophily and…

The study of language in the social context of schooling is worthwhile because it contributes to (1) an understanding of the role of language in education, (2) an understanding of the role of schooling in social stratification, and (3) sociological theory more generally, by revealing issues for analysis. (Author/RM)

Using High School and Beyond first follow up data, this study investigated the social distribution of mathematics achievement of the sophomore cohort for 83 Catholic and a random subsample of 94 public high schools. Results showed that track placement and course of study are the major mediating factors that link students' background with academic…

Discusses the phenomenon of overeducation and underemployment among college graduates and how the long-predicted glut has had a minimal impact on society. Argues that the misapprehension of the consequences of occupational mismatch of college grads stems from an overemphasis on higher education's traditional role in economic production and…

Summarizes a study that reveals that light-skin-toned and European-looking Mexican Americans receive about 1.5 more years of schooling that darker and more Indian-looking Mexican Americans. Differences in schooling by phenotype persisted with and without controls for other factors. Includes tables of statistical data. (MJP)

This article explores how the structure of higher education in the United States and Israel mediates the relationship among race/ethnicity, social origins, and postsecondary outcomes. On the basis of differences in how the two systems of higher education have developed, the authors anticipated that inequality in college attendance will be greater…

Analyzes data from the "High School and Beyond" survey and presents significant findings concerning the relationship between working and dropping out of high school. Discovers that the type of employment and the student's gender significantly impact the drop out statistics. Discusses previous research and includes statistical and tabular…

Examines sources of influence on inner-city students' initial middle school placements in English and mathematics and continuity and change in placements through the end of middle school. Discusses the various academic and socioeconomic influences and how they change throughout the middle school years. Includes data from a longitudinal study. (MJP)

This paper analyzes Jencks et al's (1983) and Hauser et al's (1983) reports of their research on the Wisconsin status attainment model. For example, the meaning and interpretation of "unmeasured" family background are discussed and the charge that the status attainment model ignores social structure is examined. (Author/IS)

Identifies four components of family capital that are important for the educational attainment of children: human capital, financial capital, social capital, and cultural capital. The relative importance of each component is illustrated by a case study of socialist Czechoslovakia where social capital was operationalized by membership in the…

Case studies showed that inequality between women and men is a very general feature of the Australian secondary school system. New approaches to the reform of sex inequalities in education are proposed. (RM)

An analysis of the Wisconsin model of achievement asks how powerful this model is in accounting for social influences, aspirations, and attainment when measurement error is taken into account. Revised estimates show support for the Wisconsin model. A revised model is even more powerful for explaining educational and occupational achievement.…

Discusses concepts of social agency, cultural mediation, and constitutive action for understanding inequality in schools. Describes the sociolinguistic argument about the structure of language, the interpretive school, and the demands of capitalism. Urges transcending the macro-micro or structure-agency dualism by demonstrating the situated…

Examines the link between racial inequality in schooling and differences in cultural capital, parents' socialization of their children into high-status culture. Reveals an interconnection between the integration of blacks into high-status culture and the black-white convergence in schooling. Suggests cultural capital possesses potential for upward…

Investigates and compares the effects of motivation for service on persistence in teaching among teachers in the 1960s and 1970s. With the exception of women in the 1960s (when few alternative careers were available), frustration among service-oriented teachers led to low levels of teacher persistence. (MJP)