This paper reviews the role of black experience in worldwide literature, focusing primarily on particular texts from the viewpoint of colonial whites in South Africa. Black people were represented as savages, comic buffoons, or faithful servants and slaves; all three representations dehumanized, rationalized, and justified the oppression of black…

This report presents the first results from the 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, showing trends since the 1970s and providing information to identify population groups for which prevention and treatment interventions could have greatest impact. These preliminary results indicate that the number of illicit drug users has not changed…

Multicultural education is a relatively new field that has faced a struggle for legitimacy. This book argues that multicultural education can be understood as a form of resistance to dominant modes of schooling, and particularly to white supremacy. Radical criticisms or tacit dismissals of it fragment progressive educational advocates and…

This book is about language prejudice as experienced by Puerto Ricans in the mainland United States. Prejudice is expressed as social signs that include, but go well beyond, language. When people express linguistic prejudices, they generally start by objectifying the languages in question as though the languages were sharply defined. For Puerto…

This study evaluated the delivery of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to clients, broken down by group (White, African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, and Hispanics). It evaluated cost of services, process activities, racial/ethnic differences, and outcomes. A total database of 202,585 rehabilitation clients in 1991 was used for the…

A rationale is presented for the use of many cases in policy analysis. Case study families were selected from nomination by early intervention professionals in three states with differing early intervention policies and procedures. Using rating scales, demographic data, and interview transcripts with 72 families of children receiving services, 7…

There is a resurgence of scientific and public interest and controversy centering on four interrelated themes: (1) intelligence testing; (2) racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in measured IQ; (3) genetic and environmental influences on abilities; and (4) the role of scientific research in social policy. Given the polarization of views,…

A study investigated how differences in student characteristics might affect the relationship between heightened interest in national news and news-seeking behavior. Data were taken from the Youth Civic Involvement component of the 1996 National Household Education Survey. Telephone interviews were conducted with 8,043 students in grades 6 through…

This report presents the results of a 1995-96 survey of U.S. colleges and universities offering doctorate, masters, and bachelors degrees in physics and astronomy, focusing on degree production and current student enrollment. It found that a decade-long increase in physics doctorate production appeared to be leveling off, with the 1995 degree…

This paper investigates the adequacy of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for taking into account dissimilarities in students' family, school, and community contexts when reporting test score differences among population groups (i.e., racial and ethnic minorities). This question was addressed by comparing the NAEP to other…

This study examined the off-campus experiences of negative racial encounters among first-year students at York University in Ontario (Canada). Focus groups were conducted with 48 Black students, 26 students of Chinese origin, and 33 students of Italian or Portuguese origin in 1993-94. In descending order of frequency, students identified stores,…

This research summarizes differential item functioning (DIF) results for student produced response (SPR) items, a nonmultiple-choice mathematical item type in the Scholastic Aptitude Test I (SAT I). DIF data from 4 field trial pretest administrations (620 SPR items) and 10 final forms (100 SPR items with samples ranging from about 58,000 to over…

One major challenge facing adolescents concerns choices about sex. The results of this survey indicate that the majority of North Carolina's high school students are sexually active. As a group, males generally reported a higher rate of sexual involvement and more sexual partners than females at all grade levels. Black students appear to be a…

This study sought to identify and describe the components of a model preschool program that recognizes multicultural diversity. A non-participant observation was conducted in an early childhood center identified by the Ohio Department of Education as having a model program. The center's six classrooms were observed and rated according to criteria…

Previous research on high school status consistently found a status structure characterized by extensive ranking and group salience. This case study, using observations and interviews, documents the emergence of a new pattern: status pluralism. The study was conducted in a medium-sized urban high school of about 1,000 students, who were nearly…