This fact sheet summarizes young people's attitudes toward three groups that are sometimes targets of intolerance: gays, immigrants, and racial minorities. In general, the data show that young Americans are the most tolerant age group and are growing more tolerant over time. However, their social circles and voluntary associations (such as…

A 2002 study, "Race in American Public Schools: Rapidly Resegregating School Districts," identified Michigan as the state with the most segregated schools in the nation. The present data brief looks at changes in the distribution of Michigan's African American students between 1992-93 and 2004-05 to determine if African American students…

This study used data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) to analyze critical issues affecting the preparation and diversity of the postsecondary applicant pool. Participants were 14,914 respondents, including 1,685 African Americans, who completed all four waves of the NELS. Overall, about two-thirds of all students expected to…

This report examines heterogeneity in young adult outcomes among students at risk for school failure due to low socioeconomic status (SES). It addresses the question: "Among students at risk due to status characteristics, what are the relationships of high school engagement and attainments with post-high school outcomes?" Two sets of…

Many school districts experience difficulties attracting and retaining teachers, and schools in urban areas serving economically disadvantaged and minority students appear particularly vulnerable to these problems. This paper investigates factors that affect the probabilities that teachers will switch schools or exit the public schools entirely.…

This collection of papers focuses on the application of transactional reader response theory in the classroom, offering a spectrum of strategies. There are 20 chapters in 4 parts. Part 1, "The Transactional Theory of Literature," includes (1) "The Transactional Theory of Literature" (Nicholas J. Karolides); (2) "Connecting…

The National Association for the Education of Young Children endorses an anti-bias curriculum for early childhood programs, in which early childhood educators are encouraged to enhance children's development of tolerance for cultural, gender, and ability diversity. This paper is an ethnography of the culture and processes of a group of three…

The purpose of this study was to implement a curriculum that emphasized a cultural approach rather than a physical approach to World Geography. Through the implementation of this curriculum at Kearns Junior High School (Kearns, Utah), the students developed a broader understanding of diverse cultures. The project involved 62 ninth graders, and was…

This digest summarizes what is known about scholastic achievement in general education at the college level, and is based on a study using the College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (College BASE), a criterion-referenced achievement test of general education skills and competencies. College BASE assesses achievement in four subject areas:…

This study explored the relationship between perceived educational opportunities and the likelihood of first birth among young women. Data came from the first five waves (1979-1983) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. A cohort of 1,747 females, 14 to 16 years of age at the first interview, who had not experienced a birth prior to the…

This is the first comprehensive study to examine Advanced Placement (AP) course-taking patterns and subject test results in the nation's urban schools. This study investigates both Great City Schools' (GCS) AP scores and scores for a national sample of test takers. The GCS data set includes 58 large urban public school districts. The primary…

Over the past few decades, social reproduction theorists have criticized achievement ideology as a dominant and dominating myth that hides the true nature of class immobility. Social reproductionists' primary criticism of achievement ideology is that it blinds the working class, regardless of race or gender, to the possibilities of collective…

This paper describes a comparative study to measure differences in the levels of career indecision for high school seniors (N=113) who are African American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, White, or mixed race, and are involved in activities in a School-to-Work (STW) program of an urban high school. A demographic survey and the Career Decision…

This study examined how the experiences of African-American and white students in a partial French immersion second grade classroom in Louisiana differed from the experiences of students in a regular education classroom. It focused on students' perceptions of themselves and others, students' interactions with their teacher and peers, parental…

The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of gender and ethnic differences in science and mathematics achievement of fifth graders, taking into account student ability, item response format, and strands of learning outcomes. Subjects were 2,551 fifth graders from a large urban area in Ohio. The Ohio Off-Grade Proficiency Test was used.…