Prior research has discussed high school counselors' role in students' experience, but counselors' understandings of their work and of students has received little commentary. We interviewed counselors in a high-poverty, low-performing urban school district in which two structural elements shape how counselors make sense of their work. First,…

Research shows that gang-associated youth are less likely to complete high school and earn a postsecondary educational credential. However, scholars have not determined "why" gang youth do not persist into higher education. This ethnographic study aims to focus on the narratives of 13 Latino high school young men to understand what…

This study describes the experiences of a group of individuals who attended a southern California Catholic boys' high school, and the men who taught them. The goal of this study was to relate a narrative that explained how an education, steeped in the Christian Brothers' mission provided a quality education for the poor, and shaped the lives,…

It appears--and this is apparent from school documentation--that every school considers its duty to support career orientation. At the same time, it is obvious that guiding the process of making career choices exists only on the level of references. As we did not question teachers, we have only tiny fragments what is done for the sake of career…

Background: Access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses is stratified by class and race. Researchers have identified how schools serving disadvantaged students suffer from various kinds of resource deprivations, concluding that interventions are needed to equalize access to AP courses. On the other hand, the theory of Effectively Maintained…

The shift in education reform to a goal of college and career readiness for all students is a change that has been embraced widely across the country. The challenge of designing new policies and programs that could accomplish the goal that all students should graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college…

In this case study, we focus on 2 variables often neglected in conversations about closing the achievement gap. Most recommendations for closing the achievement gap center on extending learning time, including afterschool programs, extended year programs, and supplemental instruction. Our school focused on attendance and student engagement in our…

Comparison, over four years, of academic performance (reading, algebra, and weighted GPAs) of two groups of students regularly admitted, via an admissions test, and one group specially admitted, via a summer program, to a specialized high school in New York City showed significant differences at the .05 level. (Author/JA)

The paper describes the identification, curriculum, and evaluation components of the Secondary School Experiential Learning Community, a program which currently serves 83 gifted but economically disadvantaged students at the Richmond (Virginia) Community High School. Personal, social, and academic program components are noted. The identification…

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…

Used data from the 1980 High School and Beyond study to examine the educational fortunes of a cohort 6 years after high school graduation. Data show that schools serving more poor students were less likely to "send" students to college and that high school grade point average and parents' education were significant at every stage in the…

The Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce worked with the school system to produce the educated base to support a strong economy. A School/Business Collaborative was created to stimulate school-business programs, evaluate and document their results, and act as a facilitator for businesses and schools wanting to work together. (MLW)

This study examined how five high-poverty Texas high schools, which had attained notable achievement levels on selected academic indicators, reached their present levels of performance. The schools shared several characteristics: most students were economically disadvantaged; the location was in a large urban district; there was no selective…

It would be foolish to succumb to the view that the educational problems of America are limited to schools in poor neighborhoods or to students from disadvantaged families. Across the country, whether in suburban affluence or urban poverty, students' commitment to school is at an all-time low. This low level of student commitment is matched by…

This paper identifies conditions in the lives of poor urban high school students that may cause classroom management problems. Urban student teachers are urged to look at these conditions from a humanistic perspective to help them understand their students and deal effectively with those problems. Specific urban secondary classroom management…