The impact of admissions process design on the racial diversity of schools and colleges has sparked heated debates. We study the pipeline into Boston's three public exam schools to understand racial gaps in enrollment. Admission to these schools has historically been based on a combination of grade point average (GPA) and a score on an optional…

This report compares the circumstances and characteristics of Black immigrant mothers in Palm Beach County, Florida, to those of Latina immigrant and Black native-born mothers, focusing on those living in distressed areas. The study also compares the early developmental outcomes of their children. When controlling for parental and child…

Advises readers to exercise caution when interpreting the results of so-called"classic studies," such as Hawthorne study; discusses results of study by Jaekyung Lee published in the January/February 2002 issue of "Educational Researcher" that found the achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students…

A study of test results of would-be teachers in 19 states documented the failure of nearly 38,000 members of minority groups. Critics say testing requirements are limiting the racial and cultural makeup of the nation's teaching force at a time of growing ethnic and racial diversity in public schools. (MLW)

Construct validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised using 189 Black, 184 Hispanic, and 187 White 6- to 11-year-olds was investigated. A two-factor solution yielded similar loadings corresponding to verbal comprehension and perceptual organization for all three groups. Three-factor solutions yielded similar loadings for…

The Advanced Placement Program has become a "program of academic opportunity" for students in high schools that enroll large numbers of minority groups. These schools are raising the expectations of minority students and helping them achieve higher goals, and they are bringing them into professional and graduate schools. (MLW)

For many Black and Hispanic students, and especially low-income minority students, attending Montgomery County Public Schools (Rockville, Maryland) in the hope of getting a good education is a risky proposition at best, and may be seriously detrimental to their educational and personal development at the very worst. This conclusion was reached by…

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of minority students who take the General Knowledge Test of the National Teachers Examination (NTE) Core Battery. Low minority pass rates on these tests demonstrate the need for interventions to increase the supply of minority teachers. Data were analyzed to determine candidates': (1)…

Analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress achievement scores, 1975-92, indicates that nonmetropolitan 17-year-old students scored only slightly lower than metropolitan students in reading and mathematics, and at the same level in science. Comparatively faster improvement during the period was seen in Southern nonmetro scores and…

A test measuring testwiseness was administered to 811 pupils in grades 3, 5, and 7 in the Tucson Unified School District. The pupils represented four ethnic groups: American Indian, Anglo, Black, and Hispanic. By controlling for reading ability using scores on a standardized reading test, the California Achievement Tests (CAT) or Comprehensive…

Using National Longitudinal Study of Youth and school enrollment data, this study examines effects of early childbearing and mothers' school progress on cognitive test scores of young children (626 Whites, 376 African Americans, and 240 Hispanic Americans). Cognitive achievement of mothers was a good predictor of children's cognitive achievement.…

Half of a sample of 11,457 college-bound juniors used a calculator on Scholastic Aptitude Test mathematics questions, while half did not. Both genders and three ethnic groups benefited about equally from calculator use. Students who routinely used calculators were relatively advantaged, but effects on individual test items varied. (SLD)

This study analyzed data from a survey conducted in 1987. The sample consisted of 2,136 examinees who took the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) during 1986-87. The purpose was to determine how well the intended field-of-study item in the GRE background questionnaire can be relied on as an indicator of what examinees will actually study in…

Responds to Dunn's monograph on Hispanic-Anglo differences in IQ scores. Reviews studies of between-group variance in IQ scores for Blacks, Anglos, and Hispanics; concludes that sociocultural factors are major contributors to such variance. Presents an IQ assessment system that develops sociocultural norms via multiple regression. Contains 24…

Compares standardized test data normally used to admit students into U.S. graduate administrator preparation programs with additional criteria used at a university attempting to provide more equitable evaluation of minority students. Results show significant differences in the scores of black and Hispanic females on standardized tests, but not on…