This paper reports on qualitative data that focus on the educational strategies of middle-class parents of Black Caribbean heritage. Drawing on Bourdieu's key concepts of habitus, capital and field, our focus is an investigation of the differences that are apparent between respondent parents in their levels of involvement with regard to schools.…

This paper reports on data drawn from a study exploring the educational strategies of 62 Black Caribbean heritage middle-class parents. In this paper, we consider the respective roles of race and class in the shaping of parents' educational strategies, deploying an analysis that focuses on their intersection and seeks to hold both race and class…

This paper addresses some particular aspects of the complex intersections between race and social class. It is based upon data collected as part of a two-year Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project exploring the "Educational Strategies of the Black Middle Classes" (BMC). ("The Educational Strategies of the Black…

The goal of this study was to illuminate the educational experiences of one of the least researched immigrant groups--African girls. I relied mainly on narratives of four African immigrant girls in public high schools to elucidate how these girls defined their learning environment. Out of school observations were used to supplement in-depth…

Ethnic socialization was explored for 58 middle-income African American children in predominantly white schools. Correlation analyses indicated that children's reports of ethnic socialization were related to the encounter stage of ethnic identity, but the report of ethnic socialization was predictive of lower classroom grades. (SLD)

Research shows that social class is a more important variable in determining educational achievement than race. Schools which provide a middle class milieu, therefore, will offer the best opportunities for achievement for Negro students. Consequently, the movement toward decentralization, which may effectively curtail integration, may further…

This study examined: (1) the expectations of black and white lower class first graders for their own performance in reading, arithmetic, and conduct; (2) racial differences in the relationship between parental expectations and IQ; (3) correlation between the absences and lateness of first graders with reading and arithmetic marks and with parental…

Fifty-four middle and lower class, black and white adolescents were observed interacting with their mothers during a discussion of seven child rearing problems. Maternal references to a range of disciplinary measures were identified, analyzed, and related to the subjects' scholastic performances. A factor analysis of process measures confirmed…

Preschool and kindergarten programs for poor and middle-class children fell into three types: (1) didactic programs, which stressed academic skills and had relatively negative social environments; (2) child-centered programs, which deemphasized academic skills and had positive social environments; and (3) intermediate programs, which fell between…

This is an intensive observational study of teacher behavior in six kindergartens in three schools. The schools were picked to be typical examples of a white middle class suburban school, an integrated lower class urban school, and a black lower class urban school. In all three schools teachers used the greatest proportion of class time (from 33…

This paper, part of a long term study, reports the effect of a modified Montessori preschool experience on cognitive development, school-related behaviors, and social interactions and perceptions of disadvantaged children. Each of thirty-five disadvantaged Negro children (31 in nursery classes and 4 in elementary classes) was pair-matched with a…

RESEARCH ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IS NOT AS IMPORTANT FOR SCHOOL PEOPLE AS IS SCHOOL-BASED RESEARCH. SUCH STUDIES FOCUS ON A TASK ANALYSIS APPROACH WHICH WOULD MATCH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A STUDENTS BEHAVIOR WITH INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES. ONE SPECIFIC PIECE OF RESEARCH STUDIED THE EFFECTS OF…

This conference report contains a summary of the proceedings and the text of two papers. The paper by Gertrude S. Goldberg, "Research Issues Evoked by the Moynihan Report," presents the critical response to that report and notes the issues raised by it. She discusses the alleged pathology of the Negro family, the relationship between…