It is suggested that the static model of language which is prerequisite for contrastive analysis is inadequate in pinpointing potential difficulties in second language learning. The student learning graphemic-phonetic correspondences encounters two types of difficulties not exposed by contrastive analysis: dialectal difficulties and reading…

The contribution of education to social protest movements within the United States and Canada is analyzed. The purpose of the study was to call attention to educational programs which have succeeded in facilitating social change. The method used was evaluation of advantages and limitations of education through case studies of 28 social movements.…

Examination of the impact of within-school educational practices on minority students between 1968 and 1982 reveals disparities between Black and White and/or Hispanic and White students in ability-grouping placements, disciplinary actions, and graduation ratios. Substantial differences in minority and White teacher/administrative employment…

Exemplary programs that have resulted in greater retention of minority, older, and commuting students are described including: Black students at the University of Delaware, linking cooperative education and educational opportunity at Ramapo College, high-risk adult students at Canisius College, and commuter peer assistance at University of…

Comparing the experiences of 1980 high school graduates with those from 1972 reveals that, among youth of low socioeconomic status, Blacks were somewhat more likely than Whites to enroll in four-year colleges; Hispanics evidence the lowest four-year attendance probability. Social background differences, gender differences, and cohort differences…

The Citadel, a state institution, has attempted to push for a broad-based education in languages, history, and literature while maintaining its 145-year-old tradition of military discipline and training. An incident with a black cadet has brought on a barrage of public criticism. (MLW)

Black girls' classroom roles were found to differ from those of other children, e.g., Black girls had the most extensive, most egalitarian peer ties of any race-gender group and were less tied to teachers than Whites. Teacher behavior, student attitudes, and peer interactions contribute to the "place" Black girls occupy. (Author/RM)

The primary purpose of "National Cross Talk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This publication contains the following articles: (1) The Plagiarism Plague: In the Internet Era, Cheating Has Become an Epidemic on College Campuses (Don Campbell); (2) Dillard's Dire Straits: Historically Black…

To their disadvantage, few Americans--and few in higher education--know much about the successes of historically Black colleges and universities. How is it that historically Black colleges graduate so many low-income and academically poorly prepared students? How do they manage to do so well with students "as they are", even when…

This report investigates how inner-city schools are performing on the academic goals and standards set by the states for children, examining district-by-district achievement data in math and reading through spring 2002. It also measures achievement gaps between cities and states, African American and Whites, and Hispanics and Whites; presents new…

This collection of papers includes: "Introduction: Why Should We Discuss 'Urban Literacy' in Developmental Education?" (Dana Britt Lundell and Jeanne L. Higbee); "History of the Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy: 1996-2002" (Dana Britt Lundell); "The Traveling City: The Hudson's Store, Urban…

The role of incarcerated women's writings as change agents for their communities was explored in a project during which 15 Anglo-American, African-American, and Latina women between the ages of 19 and 40 years voluntarily participates in three 10-week poetry reading and discussion sessions. The program was designed as a Freirian/humanities adult…

This book presents research on the post-1965 wave of immigrants to the United States by a new generation of immigration scholars. The 20 papers, which come from a 1998 conference, cover groups ranging from high-tech engineers in Silicon Valley to Sudanese Nuer refugees in Minnesota. Many studies report novel findings and fresh interpretations. The…

This second in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist notes that standard explanations for why minority students trail behind non-Hispanic whites are not good enough, suggesting that no single explanation for the gap exists, but instead a multitude of factors are influential. Poverty, though not the single most important cause,…

In fall 1997, the Washington Scholarship Fund expanded its privately funded school voucher program in Washington, D.C., and in 1998, over 1,000 students were offered scholarships by lottery. This evaluation examined the impact of the first 2 years of the program on students who completed baseline testing and were in grades 1-7 in spring 1998. It…