This fourth in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist describes the Minority Achievement Committee scholars program at Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio, a powerful antidote to the achievement gap between minority and white and Asian American students. It explains the need to break down stereotypes about academic…

This issue of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) "Policy Notes" highlights some of the viewpoints, research, and data presented at the 1996 ETS Invitational Conference on Latino Education Issues. The meeting brought together four presenters who are nationally recognized scholars with experience with issues related to the educational…

Latinos are moving out of historically Hispanic communities in Texas and Florida and relocating in the deep South. This demographic change can disrupt social patterns, add tension to social relations, and change the character of social institutions such as schools. Population projections indicate school enrollment for Whites will decrease and…

"Legacies of Brown" illuminates the effects of segregation, desegregation, and integration on students, practitioners, communities, and policymakers in the fifty years since the landmark "Brown v. Board of Education" ruling. Articles by leading legal and education scholars address questions that are central to the Brown…

Describes the Algebra Project, an organizing effort rooted in the southern civil rights movement that cultivates mathematics (particularly algebra) literacy among African American, Hispanic, and other poor middle school students. It prepares them to enter high school ready for college preparatory work and to enter college ready for college level…

On average, black students typically score one standard deviation below white students on standardized tests--roughly the difference in performance between the average 4th grader and the average 8th grader. Historically, what has come to be known as the black-white test-score gap has emerged before children enter kindergarten and has tended to…

This chapter describes the organization, operations, and goals of the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education, a national coalition of associations and institutions founded to serve the emerging majority of racially diverse college students.

The author of this article contends that the U.S. government, in conjunction with public and private sectors, are failing American society by failing the vast majority of America's urban youth. This failure is seen in America's public inner city schools where the numbers of students graduating from high school vs. the number of students…

This article describes results from the Oregon Latino Youth Survey, which was designed to identify factors that promote or hinder academic success for Latino middle school and high school youngsters. The study samples included a total of 564 Latino and non-Latino students and parents. Analyses showed that Latino students reported a high frequency…

This annual report presents information on minority, female, and disabled students and staff in Illinois higher education. It seeks to explain and track recent changes in representation among these groups and highlights statewide and institutional efforts to improve representation. This year's report is divided into three sections: (1)…

Investigates the ways that backlash pedagogy, a centerpiece of educational reform, accepts substantial inequality as a neutral baseline for educational practice and reform and, simultaneously, enshrines the status quo. The analysis draws on several theoretical lenses (cultural-historical activity theory, critical race theory, and ethnographic…

Contends that institutionalized Eurocentric curricula constantly reinforce racial and sexual inferiority complexes among people of color and women. Calls for the incorporation of world mathematical and scientific history and knowledge in the curriculum. Describes a radical pedagogy encouraging minority students to feel positive and self-assured…

This article focuses on the basic idea that having equality and justice for all in schooling cannot be achieved in the current climate where students are viewed solely as individuals. In fact, given the educational debt and achievement gaps, the ideas of equality and justice are necessarily contradictory. Achieving justice, in light of the…

This book presents the results of a study of the factors contributing to a lack of academic success for Hispanic-American students. About 500 professionals and parents from 19 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Ecuador answered a 400-item questionnaire that explored cultural and contextual traits and suggestions of how…

Discusses the theme of the special issue, "Excellence and Equity in Education: Models for Success." Emphasizes the need for concern with both educational quality and its prerequisite, equal educational opportunity, and that strategies exist to improve the quality of instruction for minority students. (FMW)