Reviews criticism of Dunn's monograph on Hispanic-Anglo differences in IQ scores. Discusses the heritability and malleability of IQ, the reciprocal relationship between achievement and intelligence, negative effects of schooling for some caste-like minorities, and superior cognitive skills among balanced bilingual students. Contains 19 references.…

Summarizes the findings of "The Veltman Report," published by the Hispanic Policy Development Project. Hispanic residents and citizens of the United States are learning English and using English in addition to Spanish, a language shift process that spans three generations. Components of language acquisition are outlined. Policy…

The effects of number of score groups and inclusion/exclusion of the studied item were examined in an empirical evaluation of the Mantel-Haenszel technique (MHT), using 3,795 elementary school students who took the SRA vocabulary test. Inclusion of four or more score groups yielded stable alpha estimates with the MHT. (SLD)

The Mantel-Haenszel approach for investigating differential item functioning (DIF) was applied to United States history items within the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress administered to 7,812 11th graders. DIF analyses were based on responses of 7,743 11th graders. Results concerning sex and racial differences and ethnicity are…

Administered System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) to 700 White, 700 Black, and 700 Hispanic elementary school students. Ten years later, again tested 1,184 of original 2,100 students with SOMPA in high school. Results suggest that some subtests of the SOMPA may have some validity for predicting school achievement for students…

From a Hispanic perspective, the current educational reform movement is closely related to three other contemporaneous policy agendas that imply an increasingly ethnocentric policy environment: (1) the Immigration Reform and Control Act; (2) the English-only movement; and (3) efforts of the Department of Education to sabotage the Bilingual…

Compared socialization, family, and mental health variables among 231 low socioeconomic status Hispanic and Anglo-American preadolescents and their mothers. Found that Anglo-American mothers, compared to Hispanic mothers, reported less rejection and inconsistent discipline, but also less cohesion. Anglo-American children reported less rejection,…

Discussion of library activities at the Bensenville (Illinois) Public Library to promote lifelong learning focuses on services to the Hispanic community, including defining the target audience; family literacy programs, including home visits to help explain and promote library activities; and community involvement. (LRW)

Reports a study that investigated the effects of metacognitive instruction in mathematics on low achieving, predominantly Hispanic, elementary school students (grades 3-8). Students were randomly assigned to either experimental (metacognitive) or traditional instruction. Results on learning outcomes showed significant effects favoring students who…

This study investigated achievement motivation based on a survey of 63 Latina women (43 doctoral graduates and 20 completers of doctoral coursework) and interviews with 10 of the women. Results indicated varying strengths in intrinsic achievement motives of mastery, work, competitiveness, and personal unconcern; low levels of sex-role…

Reports the results of a survey of recent and ongoing aging-related data sources supported by U.S. federal agencies. The purpose of the study was to determine the suitability of the data sets for research on minority elders. Formal tests of the adequacy of data set sample sizes to support analysis on various minority groups were performed; most…

Analysis of data on 3,277 children in the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth dataset examined effects on children's mental health of family poverty and 3 residential characteristics (urbanicity, neighborhood poverty, and neighborhood racial homogeneity). Poverty negatively affected children's mental health overall, while…

Schools are inadequately prepared to serve the needs of increasing numbers of culturally diverse students. Problems relate to desegregation, multicultural education, higher quality education, and bilingual education. New York City is used as an example, noting the school system's role in serving New York's immigrant students. (SM)

Constructs a descriptive profile of the status of minority college faculty. The rapidly changing demographics of U.S. society make it imperative that one observe how postsecondary education institutions have responded to increasing minority representation. Increases have been largest for Asian American faculty and smallest for Blacks. (SLD)

Describes several noteworthy books about Latinos that contrast cultures, explain a unique Mexican and Mexican American celebration, explore the debate over illegal immigration, and convey the quandaries of adolescence. Several publications are considered inferior because they disregard the Spanish language and present negative historical…