Reports on a study of absenteeism and truancy in 36 secondary schools in 4 large Dutch cities. Found that students in vocationally oriented schools had higher rates of truancy. Also found that non-Dutch (ethnic minority) pupils had higher rates of absenteeism and truancy. (CFR)

This annual compilation presents four papers on different aspects of the history of higher education in Europe and the United States. The first paper is "The Rights of Man and the Rites of Youth: Fraternity and Riot at Eighteenth Century Harvard" by Leon Jackson. This paper argues that the lines of division in the student body at…

This book is an ethnographic case study of the school experience of West Indian children in a high school in Toronto (Ontario, Canada), which focuses on how minorities fail to achieve upward social mobility through education. Chapter 1, "Black Cultural Forms in Schools," reviews theories of resistance and cultural inversion in the…

Drug abuse and the differences in drug use patterns and related behavior between rural blacks and whites were examined. Questionnaires were administered to 993 (369 black and 624 white) rural adolescents in grades 7-12 in randomly selected schools in Texas. The instrument totaled 15 pages containing 65 items which yielded 178 quantifiable…

This paper presents the results of a study that was conducted to determine whether variation in the organizational structure of middle schools would have an impact upon the quality and quantity of interracial contact among students. The study examined the effect of organizational structure upon: (1) number of reported opposite race friends; (2)…

In addition to providing demographic information and data on sex, age and college majors, 500 freshmen who attended DeKalb Community College orientation classes during fall 1977 were asked to rank various student subcultures according to preference. The subculture list followed the Clark-Trow model that defines four subgroups among college…

This booklet is intended to provide teachers with suggestions and ideas for various activities they can undertake with students to acquaint them with the ethnic heritage of their country, their city, and themselves. Suggestions and ideas are modifiable or adjustable to fit each individual classroom situation and teaching style. The booklet is not…

In this monograph, student protests and disturbances are viewed within a broad and well-informed framework, which includes: (1) the growing importance of youth and college students in American society; (2) the changing social position of youth and the rise of a generalized youth subculture; and (3) perspectives on cooperative subcultures, deviant…

This book examines student politics in South Africa during the period 1968 to 1990, and specifically at two black higher education organizations: the South African National Students' Congress (SANSCO) and the South African Students' Organization (SASO), focusing on their ideological and political orientations, internal organizational structure,…

Reforms that strive for educational excellence will fail unless they are meaningfully linked to schools' unique cultures. Chapter 1, "Introduction: The Case for School Culture," discusses the impact of culture on achievement, reform, and learning. Chapter 2, "Schools as Tribes," examines a school that transformed itself through…

An ethnographic study explored the university experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) graduate and professional students at a West Coast research university. The study consisted of interviews with each participant, observations of students participating with other AI/AN students in 15 public events, and a meeting with the entire…

Describes study to identify alterable factors associated with academic achievement of economically poor Black and Hispanic middle- and high-school students. Compares 361 high- and low-achievers on social-psychological variables. Results suggest specific actions educators can take to encourage achievement. (MW)

Interviews were conducted with a small group of multilingual students in an adult literacy class to examine how, at the individual student level, everyday literacy practices differ and intersect with a number of linguistic, cultural, and situational variables, and thus, how students' literacy needs differ in terms of a literacy program. (39…

Interviews with 39 rural North Carolina students with, or at risk for, behavioral disorders found that they responded to social isolation by creating their own school subculture that reinforced their marginalization and negatively affected academic competence. Educators must consider the relationship between social interaction and learning.…

Conversations with and among students in their residential environment illuminate the role of peer subcultures in shaping what students learn and how they define learning. An excerpt from a year-long ethnographic case study examines the ways in which residents of an undergraduate women's residential unit at a state comprehensive university talk…