Examines the impetus to use school desegregation as a means of achieving social change, the nature of effective Black schools, and the role of the Black community in supporting the achievement of Black students. (IRT)

Presented in this paper is a framework to examine environmental influences on learning. The framework identifies factors from several environments--the home, the community, and the larger sociocultural context--and links them with school policy and operations. Methodological considerations important to further investigation of these environmental…

The theoretical perspectives of school and family partnerships discussed in this report are based on the influences of families and schools on children's learning and development. A review of research deals with three topics: (1) the importance of family environments and involvement; (2) the influence of school environments on family involvement;…

This paper examines the lack of familiarity that teachers and administrators have with the communities in which low-income students live and stresses the need to create linkages between the school and the outside world to help at-risk students succeed academically. There is a serious flaw in most community-oriented approaches and many contemporary…

Reviews findings from James Coleman's report, "Public and Private High Schools," comparing public and private schools with respect to curriculum, student achievement and knowledge levels, dropout rates, minority group achievement, and students' postsecondary choices. Urges Catholic school principals to provide a school climate that…

Social scientists have adopted two different views on the influence of the community and home on academic achievement of lower-class and minority students. The first is the deficit perspective, or the failure-of-socialization hypothesis. The second is the difference perspective, or the cultural-discontinuity/failure-of-communication hypothesis.…

Reviews study findings showing that, in comparison to public school students, Catholic school students have higher achievement in mathematics and verbal skills, take more math and English classes, and have lower dropout-rates. Relates high achievement to the "social capital" available to Catholic school children, school staff, and the…