This report results from a community forum on educational equity in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at which knowledgeable persons and school district personnel provided their perspectives on issues related to educational equity. Data from this forum reveal a serious problem in the large numbers of student suspensions at both the elementary and secondary…

Analyzes how the Latino identity has been socially constructed inside ever-changing concepts of race and ethnicity and within the black-white binary, reviewing the history of Latino school segregation and resistance to that segregation through litigation; examining the contemporary framework for school desegregation; and proposing various measures…

During the past 25 years, the country witnessed a dramatic transformation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Actions by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Congress, and the National Assessment Governing Board fundamentally changed NAEP's role in federal educational policy and the nation's schools. Developed in the 1960s…

As of October 2007, 54 interdistrict magnet schools enrolling 18,928 students were operating in Connecticut. The bulk of these schools are located in the Hartford and New Haven areas--21 in the Hartford area and 17 in the New Haven area. Interdistrict magnets also serve significant numbers of students in the Waterbury region. In keeping with the…

Being that educational disparities, manifested through socioeconomic instability, were a major contributing factor to the Los Angeles riots, it is important to examine how public high schools are now shaping the postsecondary opportunities of underrepresented students. Using opportunity-to-learn (OTL) and bounded rationality as frames, this…

The Equity Scorecard, a nationally recognized and widely used organizational learning process designed to foster institutional change through the identification and elimination of racial disparities among college students, is described in this chapter. The effectiveness of this process and its potential impact are also discussed.

Reviews literature on the ways in which college and university outreach programs impact Latino high school students. The programs outlined do aid in closing the college enrollment gap for Latinos. Results suggest, however, that the Latino students who exhibit the most need are summarily excluded from participating in the programs (generally due to…

Defining equity within the context of a diverse, multiracial, multiethnic, multilingual, and multicultural society, and one where social class strongly influences one's life chances is problematic. This chapter reexamines equity in an attempt to advance the discourse beyond the debate about strategies to close the achievement gap between White…

This article discusses the educational achievement status of racial and ethnic minorities, specifically African Americans and Latinos as compared to their Caucasian peers. In addition, this article describes several long-standing federal educational initiatives designed to improve educational equity and access on the part of low-income and…

This Congressional hearing on the Bilingual Education Act examines current law and changes necessary to ensure that it provides limited English speaking students with the best possible educational opportunities. After opening statements by Chairman Michael Castle and Representative Carlos Romero-Barcelo, both of the Subcommittee on Early…

The population of Latinos in the United States has skyrocketed to approximately 40 million, and they've begun to move into virtually every state in the union, particularly into the Midwest, Northwest and Southeast. Yet, with time exception of many schools in the Southwest, many schools from K-12 to the college level are not prepared to handle this…

The various forces, various branches of the federal government in confusing and conflicting ways that have constructed and influenced the Hispanic identity and educational status are suggested. Hispanics are a significant percentage of the United States of America's population and are becoming a greater percentage everyday.

Educators across the United States continue to enable a wider and ethnically diverse proportion of students to achieve success in AP[R]. Significant inequities remain, however, which can result in traditionally underserved students not receiving the sort of AP (Advanced Placement) opportunities that can best prepare them for college success.…

This Congressional hearing on the reauthorization of the Bilingual Education Act, held in McAllen Texas, focuses on issues to consider in the reauthorization of the Bilingual Education Act. After opening statements by Chairman Michael Castle and Representative Ruben Hinojosa, both of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families of the…

Examines Black-White and Hispanic-White achievement gap trends over 30 years, identifying key factors contributing to bifurcated patterns in achievement gaps. While conventional measures of socioeconomic status, family conditions, youth culture, student behavior, and schooling might account for some of the trends for a limited time period or a…