This report describes a pilot study of the attitudes and personal estimates of progress of students who have spent 4 or more years in the Amigos two-way bilingual program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The program currently enrolls about 300 students: 50% native Spanish speakers and 50% native English speakers, approximately half of whom are African…

The very high incidence of school dropouts throughout the nation is viewed as one of the major factors contributing to the failure of the American educational system, affecting not only the schools but the society as a whole. The social, political, and economic implications of the dropout problem are explored. The ability of the United States to…

This study examined Mexican American college students' perceptions of career-related barriers and the relationship between perceptions and the students' sense of control over and responsibility for career decision making. Mexican American students (57 men and 68 women) at a state-supported university in the Southwest completed a demographic…

A study was conducted to determine demographic characteristics, motivation, and program satisfaction of General Educational Development (GED) candidates and adult education (including adult basic education, secondary adult education, and English as a second language) students in Texas. Between June and December 1985, about 6,000 adult education…

In a survey of 28,000 high school seniors, researchers found that 21,000 (75 percent) were in the labor force. The average number of hours worked per week was 16.4. The study identified the characteristics of the students and their schools that affect part-time work: (1) the higher the wage rate, the more likely a student was to work more hours…

This paper agrees that there are inadequacies in school desegregation research and suggests strategies for improving its quality and availability as well as improving current educational policies. It is suggested that the interaction of power and resources determines the post-desegregation changes in school policies. The effects of desegregation…

This study explored the relationship between perceived educational opportunities and the likelihood of first birth among young women. Data came from the first five waves (1979-1983) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. A cohort of 1,747 females, 14 to 16 years of age at the first interview, who had not experienced a birth prior to the…

This report summarizes the responses of students in two Philadelphia high schools to the second year of implementation of the Talent Development comprehensive school reform model. Both schools served low-income, predominantly African American and Hispanic American students. The Talent Development model was intended to improve schools facing…

This book reports on a 3-year ethnographic study of academic achievement and schooling orientations among immigrant Mexican and Mexican American students at a Houston (Texas) high school. The study included a survey of the entire student body (2,281 students), participant observation in the school and community from 1992 to 1995, 25 open-ended…

A survey of 1,015 fifth and sixth graders in a southern Plains state compared American Indian, African American, Hispanic, and White students' perceptions of mathematics, own ability to "learn" mathematics, role models, teacher treatment of different racial or ethnic groups, teaching practices, and academic goals. Contains 25 references.…

Inquired 69 students' beliefs about registering for high school chemistry. The information was used to develop a questionnaire and persuasive messages. Among 598 target students, chemistry enrollment was higher than expected for those receiving in-class student-only materials and lower than expected for those receiving student/parent take-home…

This study investigated social support preferences of Hispanic male junior high school students with (n=22) and without (n=11) mild learning handicaps for various life stressors. Students with handicaps were more likely to choose "nobody" and less likely to choose siblings than nonhandicapped peers. Differences between special class and resource…

Surveys acculturation among 417 high school and 223 college students from Asian-American, African-American, Hispanic-American, White, and other ethnic groups; and explores the relationship between acculturation and self-esteem. Results suggest positive effects for self-esteem of maintaining identification with one's own culture and the mainstream…

Extended career self-efficacy model using ethnically mixed rural high school population and list of occupations known to students and balanced for prestige level. Examined ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, age (grade), self-esteem, and stressful life events. Gender differences were observed in interest and self-efficacy estimates for…

Examined the contributions of academic background, self- beliefs, and other factors toward predicting college withdrawal by late adolescents. Found that academic background and self-beliefs were significant predictors of withdrawal. Found that specific self-beliefs showed significant negative relationships with withdrawal. Noted that relationships…