Urban community leaders describe their perceptions of critical issues in education and offer recommendations for the creation of a college-going culture (CGC). This qualitative study employed a maximum entropy analysis. Results demonstrate critical issues with increasing educational attainment including complexity of the urban school system,…

White teacher savior films (WTSFs) depict the teaching profession as one for which conventional credentialing is unnecessary. White teachers with little training and experience perform miracles in urban classrooms where trained, experienced teachers have failed. This same narrative is echoed in alternative credential programs such as Teach For…

An alternative dropout-prevention program is examined from the students' perspectives. Findings from interviews and observations suggest that the program is effective in keeping the students in school but does little to help the students develop daily living and social skills. Policy implications are discussed and suggestions for future research…

Studies interactional, pedagogical, and curricular actions that stigmatized high school students perceived as affecting their willingness to adapt to varied classrooms. Data from 49 students illustrate that stigmatized students prefer teachers who give personal attention and respect and solicit student opinions. (SLD)

Studied high-ability, high-achieving students in an urban high school over 3 years. Identifies factors that enabled these students to achieve, including belief in self, supportive adults, high-achieving peers, challenging classes, personal characteristics, and family support. (SLD)

Examines problems faced by immigrant students in the New York City public schools. Insight is provided into these educational problems through interviews with 20 students, 9 teachers, and 1 administrator in 2 city public high schools. Data suggest that students' desire to learn is not well supported by available resources. (SLD)

Interviewed 38 inner-city Black and Latino adolescents in a precollege tutorial program. Findings show students' difficulties in leaving their old peer groups and embracing the idea that they could achieve in school. Addresses implications of the findings for policy, assets, and problems. (SLD)

Detailed text analysis was used to examine the expository writing patterns of four academically successful African American high school students. These bidialectic students brought culturally influenced text design patterns into the classroom. Implications for writing instruction for culturally diverse students are discussed. (SLD)

Develops an attitude formation model for the occupational and educational goals of disadvantaged African-American students, and tests it for 175 African-American male and female twelfth graders in an urban school district in New Jersey. Discusses variance in student attitudes, sex differences, and the marginalization of African-American urban…

Examined the perceptions of 70 urban and suburban African-American students regarding the influences on their decision making to participate or not participate in higher education. Findings show the importance of racial and cultural considerations and highlight the need for studying students' perceptions. (SLD)

A peer counseling program in a 1,800-student inner-city high school (60 percent Latinos, 35 percent African Americans, and 5 percent others) appears successful when evaluated for the following: student knowledge acquisition; student evaluation of the program; students' impact on school and community through counseling sessions; and impact on the…

Examines attitudes and needs of 311 Vietnamese American tenth and eleventh graders (75 Chinese Vietnamese and 230 Vietnamese) to provide information about better meeting their needs. Students generally perceive their school experiences as positive, although discrimination is felt. Implications of findings for education of second-language students…

This urban high school case study shows historical continuity with the processes used by teachers to stratify knowledge disseminated to Irish, Polish, and Black students. Although the goals and purposes of extracurricular activities have been standardized, there are intrascholastic differences in the types of knowledge that they transmit. (RLC)