This book looks at the socialization process and persistence to graduation from the perspectives of black students at American universities today. The students' perceptions discussed include what it meant to them to have a pre-college experience, the importance of expectations, the pain caused by racism, and how they were able to find "safe…

This book explores whether courses that focus on issues such as race/ethnicity, cultural diversity, cultural pluralism, and ethnic studies should be required for bachelor's degrees. The study focuses on the American cultures breadth requirement at the University of California-Berkeley and the ethnic studies requirement at the University of…

Chapter 6 of a book on school law attempts to identify and examine a few of the legal problems raised by minimum competency programs, which make successful performance on a standardized test a condition for receipt of a high school diploma. The three areas where minimum competency tests are most likely to be challenged are the equal protection and…

Stereotypes of the overall character of the college student population are seen to have persisted, inaccurately, for several decades. The dangers of such stereotypes are pointed out and educators are warned against policies and practices based on misconceptions about today's students. Information from national surveys of over 95,000 undergraduates…

The chapters in this book contain a comprehensive reference to recent state appellate and federal court decisions affecting the operation and governance of public elementary and secondary schools. The chapters are: (1) "The Use of School Facilities by Student Groups for Religious Activities," (2) "Denial of Standard Diploma to…