Grade point average for residence hall freshmen (N=1,167; 52%male, 90% white, 74% in-state) is related significantly to precollege characteristics (high school rank, gender, ethnicity, parental education, divorced/separated parents, self-perception of abilities, expectation of honors or changing major) and environmental variables (learning…

Examined the first year of cooperative planning between an elementary school and the local community for a full-service elementary school collaboration. Data from observations, surveys, and interviews provide feedback on perceptions of student achievement, barriers, parent participation, leadership and power, the planning process, and goals and…

The purpose of this article is two-fold; (1) to inform school psychologists of connections between models of school engagement, psychological needs, and strength-based assets and (2) to share data collected with the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) to understand the relationships between academic performance and two environmental protective…

Though many would like to see a de-emphasis on grades in American higher education, three major reasons prevent this: student motivation, student perception, and the nature of American society. Students need extrinsic motivation and grades are the most effective of all student motivational tools. In addition, as evaluation is always oriented…

A summary is presented of the literature on motivation relating to achievement in the classroom. Special attention is given to how values, ideology, and various cultural patterns may serve to enhance motivation to achieve in the classroom. In considering what determines motivation and personal investment in educational pursuits, the following…

After two years of investigation, a panel appointed to advise the College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service on the recent change in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores concluded that the 14-year score decline is a complex phenomenon, yielding neither simple explanations nor easy solutions. As a result of looking at the…

This report provides a historical overview of curriculum development in the public schools of Washington, D.C. Investigation of the pre-emancipation period (1804-1864) shows that curriculum focused on the development of basic skills, moral values, and employment skills. During the period of the dual school system (1864-1954), when public education…

The school desegregation movement grew out of a concern for educational equity, which has a basis in constitutional/judicial principles, psychological concerns (the belief that racial isolation is psychologically damaging to the disadvantaged), and black nationalism (manifested in a concern for developing students' self-esteem). Cultural…

This review of research literature written from 1971 to 1979 on Maori education integrates and highlights findings in the following areas: historical studies, language studies, scholastic achievement studies, methodological issues, and general issues. Historical studies suggest that there is no comprehensive social history of the relationships…

A social psychological analysis of the school life of disadvantaged children indicates that conflicts result from the lower-class youngster's need to adjust to the expectations of middle-class society. A review of social psychological theory points to the implication that the cultural conflict is a fundamental one going to the very heart of basic…

Purposes of this study were to detect some of the sociocultural differences between Mexican American and Anglo junior high school students; to determine how the sociocultural characteristics of the Mexican American students were related to their language background; and to ascertain how characteristics of both groups were related to their…

This collection of papers explores past and current trends among African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in the context of a white majority. The papers, presented at the 1998 Research Conference on Racial Trends in the United States, provide analyses of racial and social dynamics and recommendations for future…

Attempts to analyze, through questionnaires and interviews with students, parents, and teachers, some of the factors contributing to differences between male and female student scoring on the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The GCSE is a British comprehensive, national core curriculum examination. Discusses the reasons why…

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 qualitative study investigates rural middle school students' perceptions of academic engagement. Participant-produced drawings (Kearney & Hyle, 2003), integrated with a series of semi-structured interviews (Patton, 2002), served as the primary data collection techniques. Twenty middle school students participated, stratified for socioeconomic…