This study examines the extent to which racial preferences are used in Colorado's 12 public colleges and universities and attempts to determine how the elimination of racial preferences would affect enrollment patterns in these schools. It uses actual admissions data from the State Commission on Higher Education. Detailed analysis shows that all…

This study investigates whether the growing use of standardized testing methods may impact learners differently across language proficiency levels. Survey and language proficiency data from 22 second grade native (African American) and non-native (Hispanic and Vietnamese) English speakers were analyzed to examine whether worry, or test anxiety,…

Background: The Waterford Early Math & Science (WEMS) program is a comprehensive educational software program designed to build math and science skills and concepts in grades K-2, alone or to supplement existing curricula. The program's capability to individualize lessons, assess and track student progress, and reteach lessons is aimed at…

An evaluation was conducted of the first year of a 3-year program designed in New York City to serve the needs of Chinese-speaking intermediate grade students of limited English proficiency. The focus of the program was on improving their achievement in mathematics and science while also improving students' English language proficiency. The…

This study used data from the base year and first followup year of the National Educational Longitudinal Survey of 1988 (NELS:88) to investigate determinants of achievement in minority versus nonminority students. In the base year, the NELS:88 collected data on eighth graders. Because there were so few American Indians, that group was eliminated…

Pennsylvania's Philadelphia School District has a high percentage of minority, bilingual, and low-income students and suffers from low student achievement, chaotic instructional organization, teacher shortage, dilapidated school facilities, and lack of accountability. Six community organizing groups are working with parents and youth for local and…

California's school-age population is becoming more linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse. Between 1986-87 and 2003-04, the enrollment of linguistic minority students--students from households where a language other than English is regularly spoken--increased 120 percent in California's public schools, or six times as fast as the 19…

This study investigated the impact on ethnic, language, and gender groups of a new kind of essay prompt type intended for use with the new SAT®. The study also generated estimates of the reliability of scores obtained using the prompts examined. To examine the impact of a new prompt type, random samples of eleventh-grade students in 49…

Oppositional culture theory has been primarily used to explain race and ethnic differences in education. It argues that members of involuntary minority groups tend to underachieve for fear of being sanctioned by their peers. The underlying assumption, then, is that academic success harms peer relationships for involuntary minorities more than it…

This report examines the demographic and language characteristics and educational aspirations of Asian American and Hispanic American eighth graders and relates that information to their mathematical ability and reading comprehension as measured by an achievement test. Special attention is paid to students who come from homes in which a…

The Alternative Basic Comprehensive Program (Project ABC) was a special alternative program for bilingual high school students in New York City. The project targeted two high schools with an influx of newly arrived immigrant students from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean and South America. The program was designed…

Increasing numbers of Asian/Pacific youth in the schools present a challenge for teacher education. Teachers need the knowledge and skills to empower Japanese students in their classes and the commitment and sensitivity to develop the leadership potential inherent in the strong work ethic and cooperative skills many of these students possess. This…

This digest provides information to help teachers gain a better understanding of Asian-American children, particularly those from East and Southeast Asian cultures, and identify culturally appropriate educational practices to use with these children. Asian-Americans represent more than 29 distinct subgroups who differ in language, religion, and…

This study analyzes data from multiple national representative samples to describe the status of curriculum tracking and ability grouping in middle and high schools and the effects on the following student groups: (1) African Americans; (2) Hispanic Americans; (3) American Indians; (4) Asian Americans; and (5) Whites. Statistical data from the…

This book analyzes the achievement gap in education, examining the depth of the problem, the inadequacy of conventional explanations, and the limited impact of Title I, Head Start, and other familiar programs. It explains how, scattered across the country, there are excellent schools getting good results with high-needs students. These rare…