A strong relationship is shown between students' state assessment test pass rates and students' socioeconomic status (SES). State sanctions based on assessment scores can affect graduation, student diplomas, school accreditation, school funding, teacher rewards and promotion, paperwork requirements, regulations, work expectations, improvement…

Examines how 8th and 10th grade student and parent attitudes and aspirations affected postsecondary attendance. Two-year and four-year students differed by socioeconomic status; educational aspirations; and concerns about college costs, reputations, and admission standards. Recommends early intervention to effect long-term systemic change in the…

Examined the distribution of merit-based and need-based financial aid packages among a nationally representative sample of baccalaureate degree recipients. Found that students from underrepresented race and class backgrounds are less likely to receive merit aid and that students with minimal financial need are more likely to receive merit aid. (EV)

Discusses data that indicate that students' academic promise is increasingly influencing even the amount of "need-based" aid they receive, signaling that families' demonstrated financial need is of less importance than they may expect when they fill out all those financial aid forms. (EV)

This investigation examined the comprehension skills of 63 urban African-American children (ages 4-6) from middle-income homes. Performances on a task designed to elicit responses to wh-questions and another to make distinctions between active and passive sentence constructions revealed grade effects and a positive relationship to age. (Author/CR)

Investigated effect of classroom type (DAP versus DIP) on stress behaviors and activity participation of 102 preschool children as moderated by socioeconomic status (SES) and sex. Found twice the level of overall stress behavior in DIP classrooms, with lower SES children and males (during small motor/paper-and-pencil activities) exhibiting…

Examines the school day experiences of four third graders at schools that vary by effectiveness and student body socioeconomic (SES) status. Their experiences highlight the mundane way in which the average school day passes. Students have little opportunity for critical thinking, and except in the more effective lower SES school, they have very…

Compared psychogenic needs structures of 2 groups of 16-year-olds from 1964 and 1992. Found that 1992 adolescents, compared to those from 1964, described themselves as more aggressive, more aimed at achievement, with a greater need to be at the center of attention and a greater need for autonomy and independence, but less need for order, rules,…

Analyzes the extent that black and white students differ in cultural capital and educational resources and whether these attributes mediate the relation between family background and racial disparities in achievement. Suggests that racial variations in cultural and educational resources vary while these resources have a small mediating effect on…

Outlines lessons learned during many missions undertaken in countries of the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia that were designed to set up psychosocial assistance programs to teach coping skills to children adversely affected by armed conflicts and the socioeconomic transition process from a planned to a market economy. (SM)

This study compared two groups of school dropouts: 35 youth with, and 60 youth without, learning disabilities. The two groups were comparable on most measures of family background, school experiences, and postschool outcomes. Some differences were found in family intactness, current job titles, and future ambitions. (DB)

Analyzed videotapes of 3- to 7-year-old Singaporean children to document play and language level. Data analysis revealed a developmental trend in play and language scores, several significant gender differences in Smilansky's and Parten/Piaget play categories but no significant gender differences in language scores. Socioeconomic status…

Analyzes the academic stock-story that portrays ethnic studies classes as limited in substantive content, noncomparative, and only useful if they meet specialized curriculum needs. Discusses how to structure a Chicano sociology class as response to the academic stock-story and addresses the advantage of a diversity requirement in universities.…

Assessed predictions from social identity theory (SIT) concerning acquisition of young children's intra- and intergroup attitudes and cognitions. Found that children as young as 5 years of age were sensitive to the status of their social group, and that ingroup status had important implications for their desire to remain group members and their…

This study explores multiple relational contexts that promote vulnerability and protection against early pregnancy in a potential risk group of Portuguese adolescents. A comparative analysis was made between two groups of female adolescents of low socioeconomic status: pregnant adolescents (n = 57) and adolescents without a history of pregnancy (n…