Research on a sample of urban black adolescents sought to discover Protestant-Catholic differences in attitudes toward achievement and black identity; the results are interpreted as suggesting that a distinctive secular orientation exists among black Catholics, combining higher educational and occupational aspirations and an attenuation of black…

Reports results of a study examining same race and cross race friendship choices of Black and White elementary school students in desegregated classrooms. Found that Blacks showed a stronger tendency than Whites to segregate racially in the selection of friends regardless of the racial composition of the classroom. (Author/GC)

Reports a study of the relations among self concept, sense of conflict, and racial balance of school within a sample of black and white sixth graders in Boston classrooms of various socioeconomic and racial mixtures. (JM)

Focusing on the development among youth of either an integrationist or separatist stance, the responses of junior and senior high school adolescents to a series of attitude items are examined in a factor analysis. Two clear and distinct response tendencies emerged, one an integration-separatist dimension and the other an approach-avoidance…

Reports that, among 689 first graders, the presence of father or other adult in the household had a beneficial effect on grades, particularly for reading, and this effect was greater and more consistent for Blacks than for Whites. Suggests that parental expectations mediate this effect. Contains 49 references. (SV)

Research on African American students' low academic performance has focused on Black adolescents, who, like most American adolescents, exhibit oppositional attitudes. In contrast, an ethnographic study of two all-Black elementary schools suggests that middle-class Black children begin school very much achievement-oriented and engaged, and that…

Uses matched data from the restricted-use National Educational Longitudinal Survey and the Common Core of Data to hierarchically model the simultaneous influences of family/peer and educational institutional processes on the Black-White gap in achievement among high school students. Suggests strong linkages between family/peer group attributes and…

Analysis of National Educational Longitudinal Study data examined measures of parent/student involvement (parent/child discussion, involvement in parent/teacher organization, monitoring adolescent behavior, educational-support strategies) and their effects on achievement, truancy, and dropping out. Parental involvement generally explained…