This review brings diverse research to bear on the contention that current achievement tests may underestimate students' subject-matter knowledge and problem-solving ability because of the mismatch between the symbolic form that typical achievement tests use and the specificity of students' symbolic encoding that arises from instruction and…

This hearing examines the mental health needs of America's Black and Hispanic elderly in New York State and, particularly, in the New York City area, and considers solutions for service delivery. Seven expert witnesses testified. Few research studies specifically target aged Blacks and Puerto Ricans; however, many minority elderly share the…

At-risk students are defined as those who are in danger of not graduating from school. These potential dropouts can be characterized by a variety of factors that lead to educational underachievement. In this study, the outcome explored is "outcast," a combination of student behavioral factors that captures student alienation from school…

The 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) provided data on the employment experience and other characteristics of a nationally representative sample of 9,022 young men and women who were between 12 and 16 years old on December 31, 1996. The NLSY focused on four aspects of youth's lives: overall employment; employment while in school;…

Part 1 of this study investigated possible causes of the observed decline in correlations between SAT scores and freshman grade-point average (FGPA). Working with a database of 38 colleges, the study found that the comparability of course grades received by entering freshmen declined in the 1980s. Three new measures of grade comparability-variety…

Discusses the question of how the problem of defining American "nationality" or citizenship has affected schooling and education since colonial times. Identifies and discusses three traditions of U.S. citizenship. Contends that these traditions have produced innumerable dilemmas and conflicts for public education. (CFR)

Reviews research on the impact of efforts to achieve school desegregation. Argues that increased interracial exposure in schools and neighborhoods triggers racial and ethnic conflict. Reviews recent research and asserts that school desegregation significantly raised rates of protests against busing. (CFR)

Analyzes risk factors for drug use among 6,760 sixth- and seventh-grade Cuban, other Hispanic, African-American, and white non-Hispanic males in Miami (Florida). The cumulative prevalence of risk factors is monotonically related to drug use, but ethnic and racial differences in risk factor profiles suggest cultural differences in predictive value.…

Surveyed 11th graders to examine the relations among mathematics self-efficacy (SE), gender, ethnic identity, and career interests (CI) in mathematics and science. Researchers also examined socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Science CI was predicted solely by science-mathematics SE. SE was predicted by academic performance and…

Identified the effects of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and basic skills performance on grade failure, course failure, scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, and attendance of middle school students placed in behavioral classrooms. Computerized data from two schools indicated that SES and basic skills performance…

The authors describe various parenting behaviors, such as nurturance, discipline, teaching, and language use, and explain how researchers measure them. They note racial and ethnic variations in several behaviors. Most striking are differences in language use. Black and Hispanic mothers talk less with their young children than do white mothers and…

The College Board formed a research consortium with four-year colleges and universities to build a national higher education database with the primary goal of validating the SAT®, which is used in college admission and consists of three sections: critical reading (SAT-CR), mathematics (SAT-M) and writing (SAT-W). This report builds on a body of…

This review of the literature addresses scientific and methodological concerns of research with children from various racial and ethnic backgrounds in the United States. It first identifies three major demographic trends: (1) the increasingly multiethnic and multilingual nature of American society; (2) the increasing number of children in poverty;…

This text on communication disorders in multicultural populations is intended to provide a framework for speech language pathologists and audiologists in providing services to persons from different cultures and racial backgrounds. The 11 papers are grouped into 2 parts. Papers in part I provide an overview of the major cultural groups in the…

This research brief discusses racial and ethnic trends in college enrollment and participation since the mid-1970s, focusing on Black, Hispanic, Asian American, and American Indian students. Data are provided in text and tables, on the following topics: (1) potential supply of higher education students; (2) Scholastic Aptitude Test averages by…