Academic achievement in American high schools is increasingly defined in terms of quantifiable values. Despite being designed to produce favorable data, explicit standardized-test preparation has an insignificant impact on scores and is counterproductive to the cultivation of attributes necessary for success in higher education and effective civic…

The problem was that testing instructions were normally presented as gains were more advantageous for promotion-oriented individuals, while testing instructions presented as losses were more advantageous for prevention-oriented. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to compare the performance on a measure of achievement for black…

In a quasi-experimental evaluation of the possible role of stereotype threat in the academic performance of college students with learning disabilities (LD), students with (N = 29) and without (N = 62) identified LD took a simulated Verbal GRE® task in one of two conditions modeled after those used in past stereotype threat (ST) research. The task…

For youth who challenge the culturally fixed gender dichotomy through nonconventional gender expression, societal reaction can be harsh. Uncovering these youth voices as they pioneer new gender frontiers through pathways of language and social dialogue provides the focus for this manuscript. Drawing from discursive, narrative practices, we sat in…

The "Standard Written English" test newly added to the Scholastic Aptitude Test is reactionalry, unscholarly, and potentially discriminatory. (JH)

The Editorial Board welcomes comments on articles, reviews, and letters that have appeared in the "Harvard Educational Review." Longer pieces are published in this "Further Comment" section, in full or in part, at the Editors' discretion. Authors of the articles under discussion are invited to respond. In this section, the…

Since 1973, the types of questions used on the Scholastic Aptitude Test have been periodically appraised for their appropriateness for different groups. The procedures used in the test development process to ensure appropriateness and approaches used in the statistical analysis to evaluate test fairness are described. (MLW)

Evidence suggests that the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), in combination with high school grades, is a good predictor of college success for students from different ethnic groups and income levels. Although legislation stemming from the Nader investigation of the Educational Testing Service purports to protect consumers, it may actually work…

Since the 1980s, "Rethinking Schools" magazine has been renowned for its commitment to racial equality in education. Now, "Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice" has collected the best Rethinking Schools articles that deal with race and culture. "Rethinking Multicultural…