Utilizing data on approximately 16,000 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten Cohort and a rich set of mediating factors on 16 immigrant groups, this paper examined the associations between children's immigrant generation status and their academic performance. The changes in academic achievements during kindergarten and…

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and White students with similar socioeconomic backgrounds and access to similar instruction in the same large midwestern school district were compared. Income levels were determined by using federal guidelines for free and reduced school lunches. The population of the study consisted…

This chapter addresses the Chicano schooling experience by presenting an overview of the conditions and outcomes of Chicano schooling problems. School failure among Chicano students refers to their persistently, pervasively, and disproportionately low academic achievement. For example, in 1979 the average number of years Chicanos remained in…

The prediction of academic success of undergraduate students using an item response theory partial credit model adjusted grade point average (IRTGPA) is presented and its results are compared to those from an unweighted grade point average (GPA). The sample included 2,444 freshmen admitted in the fall of 1987 to 681 courses at a large midwestern…

White, Black, and Hispanic students were studied during their transition from school or work to a community college. Students (N=71) at the College of Lake County (CLC) in Illinois attended focus groups formed according to race or ethnic group (White, Black, or Hispanic) in the spring and fall semesters to discuss their goals, experience, and…

In spring 1994, William Rainey Harper College, in Illinois, conducted a survey of random samples of 250 each of currently enrolled Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Caucasian students to determine their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes regarding the college's multicultural environment. Completed responses were received from 339 students,…

This exploratory study examines several facets of everyday perspectives on merit and the meritocratic allocation of rewards and opportunities, focusing on race-targeted, affirmative action admissions of Blacks and Latinos to law schools, medical schools, and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Subjects were 32 white, male college…

Biology I students (n=166) in a high school in southern Mississippi completed the Learning Styles Inventory, a 45-item instrument designed to measure preference for channel of learning (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic), sociological environment (individually or in groups), and mode of expression (oral or written). A three-way analysis of variance…

A study was done to investigate the coupling of perceptions of organizational climate together with the values of students in a multiethnic middle school. The study used data on cultural variables and information on perceptions of organizational climate and values priorities of 617 students from different ethnic groups (Black, White, Hispanic,…

This study examined what makes college students feel positive about the potential and need for change in racial relations, particularly whether a student's own race is a significant factor. Data were drawn from an initial sample of 24,847 first-time freshmen who completed the 1985 survey and a 1989 follow-up instrument to measure how students'…

Goal Five of the National Education Goals states that by the year 2000, every American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This report examines the challenges and progress of minorities compared to Whites in reaching Goal 5, focusing…

In recent years, concern over students dropping out of school has increased. A primary focus is the size of the dropout population, a question that has been addressed in two National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) longitudinal studies. Both studies provide the data needed to consider the dropout experiences between the sophomore and senior…

This study examines how high school preparation, standardized test scores, and scores on program entrance examinations are indicators of White, Black, and Hispanic students' academic performance and completion of teacher education programs. Transcripts of teacher education students (N=712) matriculating in traditional 4-year teacher education…

Research on effective schools has identified a safe and orderly environment as a prerequisite for academic success, but in recent years educators and policy makers have expressed concern about possible increases in the incidence of school-related criminal behavior. Between 1976 and 1991, blacks were more likely to be threatened, and more likely to…

This report examines high school dropout and college participation rates in Minnesota and their relationship to such socioeconomic factors as race, family income, and parental education. The analysis uses data provided by the Minnesota Department of Education, the Higher Education Coordinating Board, Minnesota Planning, the Census Bureau, and the…