This study used naturalistic inquiry methods to examine reasons why some members of minority groups, despite discouraging odds, persist in the sciences or science related disciplines. Interviews were conducted with 10 African American upperclassmen majoring in natural science or science related disciplines at a predominately white coeducational…

This ERIC Digest reviews research data on young urban, low income, and often minority parents and their involvement in schooling for themselves and their children. A look at the demographics of this subgroup shows that families headed by single teenage mothers comprise the fastest growing category of family groups, particularly among African…

This study discusses the racial and ethnic composition of Minnesota's children and child care providers, focusing on the need for more multi-ethnic, culturally-appropriate programming for the increasing number of children of color in the state. A 1992 survey of 1,003 day care centers and 35 Head Start programs found disparities between numbers of…

Progress in civil rights for black Americans does not appear to have been matched, at least in recent years, by equal progress in social harmony. It is argued that a considerable part of present racial difficulties are the result of commonly expressed understandings that are deeply flawed and that these flaws can be corrected only if social…

This study examined whether and how an institution of higher education's emphasis on diversity affects students of color differently from white students. Data, which were drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, involved 15,600 students who were freshmen in 1985 and were followed up in 1989 and who identified themselves as…

This report profiles the American high school sophomore in the 1989-90 school year using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study. It describes the tested achievement of sophomores in mathematics and patterns of course-taking in mathematics, as well as English, science, and social studies. The report summarizes sophomore reports of how…

This study describes trends in student-athletes' academic performance before and after the passage of National Collegiate Athletic Association Proposition 48 which reformed initial-eligibility rules for student athletes, requiring that they have achieved minimum high school grade point averages (at least a 2.0 on a 4.0 system) in core courses and…

This study conducted a statistical analysis to look at the participation and achievement of Black, Hispanic, and female secondary education students in mathematics, science, and advanced technology programs in schools in Virginia, compared to those of White students and male students. In particular, the study applied descriptive and inferential…

This study explores the relationship of a self-esteem program to achievement of minority at-risk students. The researcher identified a high-performing urban elementary school (Monte Sano Elementary School) with a primarily low-income, single-parent, black student body. A qualitative research approach was used to collect data, and extensive…

Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) are reported for New York State. The NELS:88 is the most comprehensive longitudinal study conducted to date by the National Center for Education Statistics. The base year survey conducted in spring 1988 included approximately 1,000 schools nationally and almost 25,000…

This report summarizes data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has been monitoring the scholastic achievement of America's 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds since 1969. The 1990 NAEP trend data provide several ways of describing changes in student achievement in each curriculum area. For science, mathematics, and reading,…

The ethnic diversity and gender represented and the age of the collection of middle level biography collections of one middle school library media center and one public library serving the same community were studied. Shelflists and computer printouts, as well as the books themselves, were used to provide information about the biography…

National samples of the general public (n=1,001) and community opinion leaders (n=300) were asked to evaluate the importance to their communities of 10 different roles of the public library. Respondents evaluated each role in terms of its importance to their communities. Survey results indicate that the public library's roles to support the…

This book provides some helpful tools that will allow teachers to use children's literature as a vehicle for modifying cultural stereotypes. The sections contain short summaries of 239 carefully selected children's books, each of which features main characters who contribute to an understanding of one's cultural heritage and ways to modify a…

This ethnographic study relates the differences reported by student teachers as they experienced teaching in a culturally diverse elementary school that contained a large population of minority students and compared that placement with a rural school that had few or no minority students. The methodology involved preplacement interviews, journals,…