Ethnic identity (EI) can facilitate racially and ethnically marginalized youths' academic achievement but the mediating process by which it exerts its influence is unclear. This study examines how EI is associated with academic achievement through academic beliefs in a sample of Caribbean first and second generation immigrant adolescents whose…

Many studies have pointed to a troubling phenomenon known as the "immigrant paradox." Despite an initial advantage length of residence in the United States appears to be associated with declining academic achievement and aspirations. To date, this line of research has taken a largely cross-sectional approach, comparing first, second, and…

Public and private schooling have a roughly uniform effect on achievement, but variability among students' home and neighborhood environments mask the leveling effect. Includes an historical discussion of egalitarianism and stratification in American education. (PS)