This study investigated the relationship between racial identity attitudes and academic achievement among 26 urban African American high school students. Results suggest that academic achievement may be related to racial identity attitudes. Educational implications are discussed. (SLD)

This study of six young urban African American men, all in grades 10 or 11 at the time of the study, examined their experiences and the meanings they constructed of the high school diploma, their experiences in classrooms, and their relationships with family members and peers. The perspectives of these young men point to the importance of…

Analyzes the discourse styles, including linguistic practices, of African-American students at an urban high school. Concludes that students use Ebonics or Black English as the norm against which students evaluate other speech practices and that students construct standard English as a vernacular, a discourse to be disrespected…

Females had significantly higher attitude and competency scores on the Abbreviated Career Maturity Inventory, completed by 114 female and 187 male African-American high school students. Educational plans were consistent with occupational expectations; 90% females and 74% males preferred careers requiring degrees, and 89% females and 86% males…

Examined how race and class influenced the lives of six African-American high school seniors at a predominantly White, elite, independent secondary school. Interaction of the dominant habitus with the individual habitus of these students results in a form of symbolic violence students are willing to endure for the advantages of attending the…

Urban African American males face complex barriers to learning and achievement. A Washington, D.C., school has designed a ninth-grade program that effectively enhances youngsters' self-concept and allows them to succeed academically. Ninth graders attend most classes in the Annex, a personalized, caring environment that subverts negative aspects…

Investigated tobacco use from 1976-1992 among urban and rural adolescents using data from Monitoring the Future, a project that examines high school seniors' risk behaviors and sociodemographics annually. Results suggest rural white males smoke most often and urban black females smoke least often when compared to other groups. Smoking rates…

Studies 208 African-American urban high school students. Grade point average (GPA) and specific strategies for coping with day-to-day stressors were found to be significantly related to psychological adjustment. Students who had higher GPAs tended to use family members as means of solving problems, minimized problems by use of humor, and used…

This study examined the relationship between self-concept variables and academic achievement in 72 African American inner-city high school students. The self-concept variable of particular interest was racial self-concept, those perceptions about the self that develop as a result of racial identity. The hypothesis that racial and global…

Presents an ethnographic portrait of class as it unfolds with race and gender in a black high school and community. Uses a cultural and relational framework to explore how students play between classes in ways that impact structural analyses of class and their implications for public policy. Contains 72 references. (Author/SLD)

The efficacy of signifying, a form of social discourse in the African American community, as a scaffold for teaching skills in literary interpretation was demonstrated with 52 urban high school students in an experimental group and 25 controls. Skill in signifying and social knowledge showed positive correlations with achievement. (SLD)

Presents a case study of a New York City high school with a high dropout rate. Focuses on teaching quality, students' attitudes and stresses, and school structure and practice. Argues that school reforms must be developed along with efforts to improve the overall life conditions of students. (KH)

Studied the motivation of 60 black urban male tenth-graders, half achievers and half with lower achievement scores. Results suggest that if potential achievers are to be turned into achievers, teachers must focus on activities designed to foster intrinsic motivation. Techniques for working with low-income minority youth are outlined. (SLD)

Project EXCEL, developed from a 2-year pilot study, provided college enrichment in reading, writing, and foreign languages for rising sophomores and sophomores in two inner-city high schools. One school had a predominantly black student body; the other had a student body that was 40% black. This study focused on the sources of equality and…

The motivation to learn of African American high school students was examined by asking them about their favorite and least favorite classes. Two hundred and seventy-five students attending three urban high schools were randomly selected from their history classes to respond to a questionnaire on their perceptions of ability, goals, and reasons…