African-American children are minimally represented in gifted programs due to misconceptions of giftedness, problems associated with standardized testing, perceptions of African-American students' low achievement, and lack of awareness of characteristics of African-American achievers. Individually focused identification of gifted African-American…

Reviews the current status of assessment programs in higher education, arguing that comprehensive assessment programs will increase the likelihood that minority college students will persist and graduate. Components and design of comprehensive assessment programs created for this purpose are described. Three recommendations for culturally…

Addresses the process of interpretation from a study of the academic achievements of Native American high school students in New Mexico, illuminating the relationship of researcher subjectivity to the many decision points that each process of interpretation embodies. The article also contains a counterpoint of problematics that reveals where…

Investigated how high school students in Papua New Guinea responded to rising educational credentialism and unemployment by drawing on elements of their traditional egalitarian village identity to make moral judgements about appropriate selves and futures. Interview and observation data indicated that students referred to specific western…

Educators, policy makers, and civic leaders are baffled and frustrated over the stubborn achievement gaps that exist between white students and students of color. On a consistent basis, African American students do not fair as well as white students on school-related measures such as proficiency examinations and standardized tests (e.g.,…

This article relates the experience of Mrs. Vernon, who teaches two sections of an English course at her high school, and has evaluated her high- and low-track students based on cultural and social groups. She uses these evaluations to shape her expectations for the students' academic performance, their future life goals, and her daily method of…

With the increase in state-mandated high-stakes testing across the USA, schools and school districts are considering ways of increasing instructional time for core curricular subjects such as mathematics, science, English, and social studies. One seemingly logical approach to improving test scores is to reduce the time spent in subjects that are…

A study examined the effects of students' ethnicity on measures of the meaning of success in school and a preference for school feedback. A questionnaire was distributed to 333 white American students in eastern Wisconsin and 375 Hong Kong Chinese 8th- through 12-graders. Results showed a significantly higher proportion of American than Chinese…

A longitudinal study of the economic self-sufficiency and academic achievement of Indochinese refugees, commonly known as "Boat People," concludes that cultural background and family influence play key roles in achievement in American society. Statistical data were drawn from two surveys of 6,775 individuals in 1,384 Chinese, Laotian, and…

Results of a study attempting to verify the extent to which social background variables affect science achievement at multiple levels of analysis are reported. Patterns of home- and SES-influenced variables potentially explaining differences in individual achievement were examined in Hungary, New Zealand, and Australia to duplicate a previous…

This report provides the status of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's activities on behalf of runaway youth and their families as of March 31, 1976. The report is divided into four major sections including background information, discussion of projects supported by the various offices and agencies of the Department, preliminary…

The report encompasses a joint student-faculty 2-year project (funded under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) conducted in an effort to decrease problems of the educationally handicapped students coming to Bacone College. In better preparing the student with low ACT scores for college level work, specialized or modified…

Intended as a reference for students, teachers, researchers, and others interested in information about American Indians, this bibliography consists of 1,776 entries, divided into 6 sections: Research and Evaluation Report Series, Annotated; Curriculum Bulletins, Annotated; Books - American Indians; American Indian Education; Miscellaneous; and…

This report documents and summarizes research findings on the influence of religion on the lives of U.S. adolescents. It examines recent academic research on religious influences during adolescence and reports findings from quality studies, published mostly in academic journal articles or book chapters. The report focuses on: "Levels of…

This essay provides an overview of the controversies surrounding intelligence: its definition, its genetic or environmental basis, its relationship to achievement and learning ability, cultural factors, and the use of intelligence tests in the schools. This article is part of a theme issue on intelligence. (SJL)