In an era of heightened educational expectations, it can be difficult to discern why would-be first-generation college-going adolescents are less likely to enroll in college than non-first generation adolescents. This article draws from cultural sociology to interpret differences in the way that adolescents socially construct the transition into…

This study examined the contributions of students' noncognitive characteristics toward explaining performance on the ACT® test, over and above traditional predictors such as high school grade point average (HSGPA), coursework taken, and school characteristics. The sample consisted of 6,440 high school seniors from 4,541 schools who took the ACT in…

The purpose of this participatory action research was to create a comprehensive evaluation of advanced geoscience education in Pennsylvania public high schools and to ascertain the possible impact of this trend on student perceptions and attitudes towards the geosciences as a legitimate academic subject and possible career option. The study builds…

For many Native American students, particularly those from reservations, the pursuit of higher education is a formidable concept to grasp. Poverty, rural isolation, and a myriad of social ills all take a role as demotivational factors that act as barriers between Native American students and a college education. On the other hand, family,…

This document comprises a report of the postgraduation plans of seniors in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and their opinions about their high school education. A sample of 20,131 seniors, (response rate of 77 percent) responded to a three-part, 59-item questionnaire. Findings are arranged in the following order: (1) total group;…

This study examined whether or not student, parent, and peer engagement factors that contribute to at-risk students' success in graduating from high school continue to be important in making the transition from high school to postsecondary education. The data set used was the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, which included 1994 data…

Presents objectives, methodology, and results from a binary model that studies data from a 1987 nationwide survey of high school students taking the Test of Economic Literacy (TEL). Links current economics class performance to perceived usefulness of additional economics courses. Advocates curriculum reassessment. Includes tables showing results.…

VARIATIONS IN THE INFORMAL SOCIAL SYSTEMS OF 20 HIGH SCHOOLS, THE SOURCES OF THESE VARIATIONS, AND THE EFFECTS OF SUCH VARIATIONS ON THE ACADEMIC ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS WERE STUDIED. TWO RELATED ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVED MAJOR RESEARCH EMPHASIS--(1) THE CHARACTERISTIC GLOBAL DEMANDS, FEATURES, AND EMPHASES OF…

This paper reports the results of a large-scale study on the school environment and its influence on the academic achievement, values, and aspirations of students. The study (1) identifies a number of dimensions of educational and social climates of high schools, (2) assesses the effects of these dimensions on the academic performance and college…

For more than three decades, the courts have attempted to resolve the effects of desegregation on educational quality and educational access. This report reviews a recent court ruling on the 26-year-old desegregation case, Mapp versus Board of Education, in relation to emerging demographic patterns in the Chattanooga (Tennessee) Public Schools…