Examines five major assumptions of "first wave" school reform and their negative consequences for Latino and other minority group students. Suggests that the reforms of the 1980s focused on excellence for white college-bound students while ignoring equity issues and the needs of at-risk, culturally diverse students. (SV)

These 12 essays provide insights into how racism demoralizes and debilitates the confidence of all Canadians affected in the educational milieu, especially the young. The writers all unmistakably signal the challenge for change and a renewed commitment to justice and equality. Essays include: (1) "There is a Better Canadian Answer"…

This memorandum clarifies the latest policy changes at the Federal level relative to the provision of educational services (including language programs and desegregation) to national origin minority students. The information in the memo is based on a review of the legal obligations which school districts are currently subject to, according to the…

Two overlapping nationwide studies, one funded by the Ford Foundation and the other by the U.S. Department of Education, provide information covering policies, procedures, and practices that enhance or impede the academic success of minority students in universities and community colleges. Topics include understanding the problem of minority…

The Bakke decision, which addressed affirmative action in college admissions, is examined with focus on Justice Powell's ruling. Justice Powell ruled that the need for diversity on campus justifies a minority admissions program, and that other considerations not accepted may have validity if properly argued. (Author/JMD)

Compares and contrasts overt and subtle forms of prejudice in the classroom. Maintains that subtle prejudice is still pervasive and discusses this phenomenon in terms of aversive racism theory, attributional ambiguity, and stereotype threat. Describes the intervention programs, jigsaw classroom and wise schooling. (MJP)

Discusses the growing sense of grievance among younger working-class and middle-class White males most affected by affirmative action preferences. Suggests that measures intended to ensure equal opportunity and proportional representation for minority groups may be contributing to racial polarization on college campuses, in workplaces, and in…

The dramatic shift in immigration patterns is discussed. By the end of the 1980s Asian refugees will account for 75.2 percent and Southeast Asians will total 60 percent of immigrants. The new Asians are too often excluded from special programs and scholarships and forced to compete with native-born Asians. (MLW)

An excerpt from the book "Savage Inequalities" describes the situation in Camden, New Jersey, where children attend some of the nation's poorest schools; desegregation is unlikely, and those unable to leave face bleak futures. Discusses findings of a 1980s class action lawsuit that detail New Jersey's unequal public education systems.…

Examines ethnic diversity and the emergence of differing value systems, noting their impact on educational processes. The article recommends separating educational achievement from cultural affirmation and acknowledging that many minorities do not learn because they are not expected to learn. Education must change to affirm and include students…

The verdict in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) case undermined the concept of educational equity by equating it with sameness. Testimony was excluded that revealed bureaucratic processes creating new inequities: overemphasis on test preparation and manipulation of students' grade level designations to artificially improve…

The fundamental issues confronting public higher education in its efforts to reach America's minorities are addressed. Higher education's historical progress in providing a path to equality is surveyed, and certain recent trends showing a clear reversal of that progress are examined. Three chapters offer strategies for stopping the trend and…

Numerous scholars, historians, and social scientists believe that the most significant decision made by the United States Supreme Court was handed down in the case of "Brown v. the Topeka Kansas Board of Education" (1954). In this case the court declared the legal principle of separate but equal as unconstitutional in public education. This paper…

This is a history of the discriminatory practices that gave rise to affirmative action policies, of the way in which such policies evolved, and of the current law regarding affirmative action. It examines the application of Federal policy to institutions which provide employment and training opportunities, as well as implementation of affirmative…

This report derives from a study of the implementation of civil rights guarantees by elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions. The study was commissioned by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) with the objective of determining whether the OCR should more closely monitor and enforce compliance with Federal regulations concerning the…