This book details a 3-year study in which lower-middle to middle class, white, black, and Latina middle school and high school girls were interviewed about their feelings concerning appearance, their eating habits, and dieting. The findings, based on what the girls reported, are explored and give insight into the influence of peers, family, and…

This book is designed to summarize, integrate, and evaluate current research on adolescent development. It contains the following chapters: (1) "Paths to Adulthood: Adolescent Diversity in Contemporary America" (Ramond Montemayor); (2) "Competence among Urban Adolescents in Poverty: Multiple Forms, Contexts, and Developmental…

In the rush to implement world-class standards supported by systems of accountability in public schools, education leaders have compromised the educational future of Hispanic students by making high-stakes decisions based on inaccurate and inadequate testing information. State policies often require that Hispanic students be assessed in English…

This study analyzed retention and graduation rates of entering minority group freshmen from the 1989-96 cohort at 232 diverse colleges and universities using data from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE), which consistently have indicated that graduation rates are lower for underrepresented minority groups of blacks,…

This digest describes ways in which professionals who work with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can create an educational climate that accepts and respects the language and culture of its students and empowers them to feel confident enough to risk getting involved in the learning process. Methods of creating such an…

This report examines how inner-city schools are performing on the academic goals and standards set by the states. Researchers investigated student achievement in math and reading and measured achievement gaps between cities and states, African Americans and Whites, and Hispanics and Whites. The report focuses on whether urban schools have made…

This report analyzes the under-representation of North Carolina's black, Hispanic American, and Native American students in honors courses, advanced placement (AP) courses, and academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) programs. Data came from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's database on all public schools and from surveys…

This paper traces the effects of economic restructuring through comparative socioeconomic profiles of African American and Latinos in the Midwest, with a focus on Chicago and Kansas City. Globalization has been associated with deindustrialization, relocation of jobs to developing countries with cheaper labor, and expansion of the service sector. A…

This paper examines some of the major problems and barriers faced by Hispanic/Latino youth who, despite high college enrollment rates, do not complete the four-year degree. An examination of five entering classes of Illinois college students found that only 30.2 percent of Hispanic students had completed their degrees at the end of four years,…

This study examined the perceptions of preservice teachers tutoring non-native English speakers in a local public school. A group of 14 predominantly female preservice teachers participated, nine white and five Hispanic. Participants completed interviews asking about their tutoring experiences. Results found two common themes: most participants…

The Latino population in the United States is growing at a rapid pace, and the proportion of our nation's under-five year olds who are Latino is increasing even faster. Many of these children lack access to the high-quality pre-kindergarten experiences that promote academic achievement and future success. By providing Latino children with…

The history of SAT® score scales is summarized, and the need for realigning SAT score scales is demonstrated. The process employed to produce the conversions that take scores from the original SAT scales to recentered scales in which reference group scores are centered near the midpoint of the score-reporting range is laid out. For the purposes of…

Contains information on incidence of handicapping conditions among Texas Hispanic students; delivery of special education services to handicapped Texas Hispanics; a specific example of the application of a human resource planning model to bilingual handicapped students; significant staffing needs associated with serving exceptional Hispanics.…

Barriers which may prevent Mexican American women from participating in higher education include: sex role restrictions, low socioeconomic status, lack of parental financial support, "culture shock," and traditional admissions criteria. Programs designed to provide financial and motivational support are desirable to help break down the…

Unique in its use of several major national data sets to create a data base for future projections, this study reports the projected number of non-English language background and limited English proficient persons in the United States to the year 2000 for the nation, and by state, age, and language. (Author/CM)