Student retention has become a difficult issue within higher education. As such, it is imperative to examine the causes, as well as provide educators with strategies to implement to improve retention rates. "Critical Assessment and Strategies for Increased Student Retention" is a pivotal reference source for the latest progressive…

Explores the intersection of race and gender by examining two ascendant political discourses about African American males: (1) Afrocentrism; and (2) black feminist thought. Reviews recent African American history and the development of both Afrocentrism and black feminism. (CFR)

After reviewing the literature on mentoring, this report presents the results of a study of 544 students enrolled at Florida A&M University (FAMU), a historically black institution. Students responses to the following issues are analyzed by gender, race, classification, and school and college: (1) reasons for having a mentor relationship at…

Asserts that, although minority groups have made progress in educational attainment, they still face barriers to higher education. Reviews statistical data from two national studies. Finds that, once background characteristics are held constant, minority parents make as much, if not more, effort to save money and support their children as do white…

Identifies four sources for recent declines in numbers of minority teachers and administrators: (1) overall decline in education majors; (2) decline in Black college students; (3) widening career options for Blacks--especially females; and (4) teacher competency tests. (SKC)

This information bulletin reviews the research literature on blacks and mathematics. The amount of research that focuses specifically on race differences in mathematics in an attempt to explain and lessen those differences is small. Research of the past ten years indicates that black students, when compared to white students, take fewer…

This book uses an ethnographic approach to collect and analyze patterns of language and culture that affect interracial communication and culture. The study selects patterns of behavior, or elements within patterns, and maps black and white cognitive territory in order to reveal the cultural reasons for communications difficulties. The book…

This study surveys African Americans to assess perceptions of and life experiences with the issue of skin tone. Thirty-seven African American adults agreed to complete a survey packet and participate in a semi-structured focus group discussion. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, the Skin…

Presents an interview with Cornel West, author of "Race Matters" and "Keeping Faith," about cultural pluralism, racial relations, and democratic values. Concludes that the ongoing struggle for justice is an integral element of what it means to be an American. (CFR)

This study explored factors contributing to the educational aspirations of African American students. An underlying assumption of the study was that the paradigm for looking at aspirations as a key predictor of later attainment in college students may work differently for black students than for the general population. The study involved data…

This book presents the story of two teachers, one black and one white, who confronted the boundaries of race, describing their journey through distrust, anger, and fear as they grappled with race in classroom teaching. It explains how the white teacher, guided by her African American mentor, learned to effectively teach African American students.…

Examines the results of a survey of historians about democratic values, ethnocentrism, and racism. Describes the origins, development, and current efforts of the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Ohio. Concludes that museums are important places to learn and that values should be central to what is taught in museums. (CFR)

An analysis of student achievement and the ethnicity of students and instructional staff in the Syracuse (New York) City School District found a need to develop a multicultural curriculum that would ensure equal educational opportunity. A comparison of the scores of White, Black, and Hispanic elementary and middle school students on the IOWA…

Asserts that scholarship on the formative period of the African presence in the Americas is still in its infancy. Explores the role of ethnicity in the construction of the lives of African-born slaves in Mexico City during the early 1600s. Discusses implications of the findings, including the impact of ethnicity on marriage choices. (CFR)

Presents a high school history lesson based on the National Standards for United States History. Considers the effect of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence on free and enslaved African Americans. (CFR)