This paper presents some of the findings of the Illinois Valedictorian Project, a longitudinal study of 81 top high school students just completing its 10th year. In particular the effects of gender, race, academic talent, and the relationship of undergraduate experiences to early adult achievement and tacit knowledge were examined. Data was…

As part of the investigation into the achievement differentials between white and black students in Michigan, a study was done of the nature of sense of futility (SOF) at the individual student level and the relationship between the SOF correlates and self-concept ability. The sample included 2 groups of fourth and fifth graders in a random sample…

Information about education in the United States from the 1990 Census of Population and Housing is presented. In 1990, there were nearly 65 million Americans enrolled in school. Nearly half were enrolled in elementary school, with 17 percent in high school and more than 25 percent enrolled in colleges across the nation. More citizens are going to…

This book explores the aims and strategies of the Educational Fostering movement (EFO), a collection of educational policies in Israel that are intended to narrow gaps in educational opportunities and achievement between ethnic minorities and the ethnic majority. Educational fostering is aimed at students who are marginalized contextually or…

Surveys of admitted students (N=309) at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) were conducted in order to obtain admitted applicants' views of the functioning of the Admission Office and to assess differences in responses of certain subgroups of applicants. The four classification variables defining the subgroups were: acceptance status…

The two exploratory studies presented in this research report used multilevel data obtained in the 1983-84 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) to investigate the relationship between minimum competency testing (MCT) programs and student reading proficiency. A "school effects" paradigm was used in Study 1 to assess the effect…

The textbook is a predominant feature of most classrooms in the United States. Because the textbook is an important aspect of the educational experience, it is essential that the content of the texts be carefully scrutinized. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the visual portrayal of racial, ethnic, and gender groups in…

Use of item response theory (IRT), the delta plot method, and Mantel-Haenszel techniques to assess differential item functioning (DIF) across racial and gender groups associated with the Maryland Test of Citizenship Skills (MTCS) is described. The objective of this research was to determine the: effect of sample size on results from these three…

The first National Education Goal agreed to be President Bush and the nation's governors is that all children will start school ready to learn. The first objective under that goal is that of providing high quality and developmentally appropriate preschool programs for all disadvantaged and disabled children. This paper seeks to assist efforts to…

This paper presents a model and some empirical research on the process of ethnic identity development beyond childhood. Several models of ethnic identity development among minorities share with Erikson the idea that an achieved identity is the result of an identity crisis, which involves a period of searching that leads to a commitment. In order…

The focus of these two reports is on students who transferred from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), and who were studied as a part of the Maryland Longitudinal Study. Results found included the following: (1) transfers in the Representative Group (containing members of all ethnic groups) were equally likely to be male or female; in…

While the seventh and ninth grade Maryland Functional Mathematics Tests (MFMT) appear valid and well constructed, the 65 percent passing rate for Montgomery County Public Schools' ninth grade students raises questions about the 81 percent passing score set for the MFMT. This standard is far stiffer than the 59 percent set for the Maryland…

A summary report on the backgrounds of the 1984 class of high school graduates is provided with comparisons by sex, based on findings of the College Board's Admissions Testing Program and the Student Descriptive Questionnaire. Narrative and statistical information covers students' educational and family backgrounds, with attention to: ethnic…

A questionnaire survey of 982 people in 4 shopping malls in the Piedmont region of South Carolina sought to assess public attitudes about the quality of public and private schools, proposed federal tuition tax credit legislation, tax support for private schools, and outcomes should tuition tax credits be adopted. Respondents were asked to…

This longitudinal study investigated the frequency and type of cross-sex peer interactions which occurred in six first grade classrooms. The effects of task structures (or patterns of instructional organization), and the impact of the racial composition of the classrooms on the frequency and type of cross-sex interactions were also explored.…