This paper reviews the literature on student retention at urban colleges and explores notions of student involvement and academic and social integration especially in relation to nontraditional students. It describes some programmatic interventions designed to improve retention. The paper concludes that partnerships with public schools may have a…

Presents three reactions to James A. Banks' article, "Transformative Challenges to the Social Science Disciplines: Implications for Social Studies Teaching and Learning." Calls for more emphasis on global education, agrees that teaching and learning strategies should be changed, and recommends changes in preservice teacher education.…

Early educational enrichment is a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of low achievement, school dropout, and dysfunctional adult behaviors. The article examines major areas related to preschool and school functioning that require consciousness raising and activism during early childhood education, suggesting ways to help sustain children's…

College enrollment data are presented for American Indian, Asian-American, African-American, Hispanic-American, foreign, and white student proportions of total enrollment for 1980 and 1990, and 1990 distribution by institution type (private, public, four-year, two-year), gender, and level (undergraduate, graduate, professional) for 1980, 1982,…

Describes the development of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) tests which predict student success in mathematics on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) and readiness for college mathematics. Institutions wishing to expand ethnic diversity in teacher education must help minority students prepare for tests like the TASP. (SM)

Describes two programs (College-for-a-Day and Scholars Club) to encourage higher education as a realistic goal and to promote scholarship and leadership among middle and high school minority youth in Lee County (Florida). College-for-a-Day is operated in collaboration with University of South Florida and Edison Community College. (SM)

Studies racial and ethnic differences in mathematics achievement for elementary school students in a large suburban school system in the Washington (DC) metropolitan area. Results with more than 5,000 students show minority students performing at a lower level than majority students. Issues of teacher attitudes, teaching methods, and the role of…

To increase the representation of people of color in teaching, the potential candidate pool must expand beyond those who are likely to attend college. Paraprofessional school personnel, who typically are from minority groups, constitute a ready source for increasing the supply of diverse teachers. Five strategies that contribute to the success of…

Discusses the effect of inservice and preservice education emphasizing the educational needs of limited-English- proficient students, examining a study of the effects of English language proficiency on teachers' assessment of students' understanding. Results indicated that despite inservice education, teachers did not accommodate students' needs…

Research shows that the minority/white achievement gap is real and is having devastating effects on youth and society. However, school leaders can influence certain educational causes and correlates (like teacher qualifications and expectations). Programs must be individualized, and narrowing the achievement gap should become a national priority.…

This study examined whether the effects on cognitive and language outcomes of a recently developed home-based educational intervention program, Opstap Opnieuw, for 4-6-years-old disadvantaged children could be explained by improved mother-child interaction. The present sample (n = 30) was drawn from a larger sample of Turkish-Dutch families (n =…

The issue of underachievement among the gifted has captured the interest of educators sporadically over the past thirty years. In the most basic definition, an underachiever is a student who does not achieve in the academic areas at a level consistent with his or her capability. When underachievement is applied to the gifted, it becomes a more…

This chapter uses data from the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students project to provide evidence of success among racially diverse students in the Los Angeles Community College District. Through interviews with student services personnel, it also describes the specific efforts that may be responsible for this success. In…

This article presents the authors' ongoing research into two different pedagogical projects within teacher credential courses: one in critical multicultural education and the other in foundations of education. The data were gathered in Northern California and in Colorado. Both projects were designed to help students-teachers become more aware of…

The "Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Fact Book on Higher Education" is one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of comparative data on higher education. For decades, state leaders, policy-makers, researchers and journalists have used the "Fact Book" to find useful data quickly--and to learn more about…