From Opposition to Engagement: Lessons from High Achieving African American Students

Influential research on African American students has examined their school failure in terms of students’ opposition to school achievement. Only a few studies have explored school engagement and success among these students, and even fewer have examined the experiences of high achieving black students. This study illustrates the school context and school processes that high achieving African American students identify as contributing to their academic success. The findings reveal three main school effects impacting the students’ performance: 1) teacher practices, engaging pedagogy versus disengaging pedagogy; 2) participation in extracurricular activities and; 3) the state scholarship as performance incentive. According to the students, teacher practices were the most instrumental school effect benefiting their outcomes. Recognizing the processes that promote high achievement among African American students can help to improve our understanding of student performance, while promoting success among these students. The author wishes to thank Ron DePeter and Tekla Johnson for their comments on a previous draft of this article     

Threatened and Placed at Risk: High Achieving African American Males in Urban High Schools

This study investigated the risk and protective factors of 11 high-achieving African American males attending 4 urban charter high schools in a Midwestern city to determine what factors account for their resilience and success in mathematics courses, and in high school more generally. This research was guided by a Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory, which assisted in extrapolating how these young Black males make sense of their experiences despite the many challenges they face growing up in urban Black America. Results indicate that although students were under multiple forms of academic and physical threat within and beyond school walls, there was a keen presence of academic agency and an ability to manage potentially threatening situations to cleverly protect themselves from complex systems of risk.     

School Personnel Educating the Whole Child: Impact of Character Education on Teachers’ Self-Assessment and Student Development

There is an increasing interest in linking character education programs with social and academic outcomes. The Child Development Project (CDP) is a character education program that promotes academic and social growth in teachers and students. This theory-driven evaluation employed a quasi-experimental design with matched control schools. School personnel participated in an intensive professional development process to learn the CDP model. Performance measures included state-mandated achievement measures, teacher self-assessment reports, and student attitudes and outcomes. Results yielded support for the CDP model as a strategy to improve social and, if properly implemented, cognitive outcomes in students; the model also improved teacher self-assessment and provided information that may facilitate professional growth about school collegiality. Implications for policy and practice will be discussed.     

The Paradox of Low Academic Achievement but High Self-Esteem in African American Students: An Attributional Account

Despite evidencing on average lower academic achievement than White students, African American students are usually found to have higher self-esteem. An attributional account is provided to explain this paradox. This account focuses on the expectancies, attributions, and self-esteem of African American college students. The existing literature with regard to attributions, expectancies, and self-esteem is reviewed, and the findings from two recent studies are introduced. Finally, some implications for education are discussed. It is concluded that concerns over threats to self-esteem in African American students may be misplaced. Instead, the data show that African American college students experience increasing doubts that their efforts will be rewarded in ways equivalent to those of White students, and they make increasingly external attributions. The results suggest the need to address the issue of ethnicity and opportunity more directly in our educational institutions.     

African American College Students,the Black Church,and Counseling

African American undergraduate students face numerous challenges during college; however, they are less likely to seek help from college counseling services. Often, African Americans seek support from spiritual resources. In the current phenomenological study, participants shared in a focus group interview. Overall, participants seemed to value the Black Church as an integral part of their lives and as an influence on their perceptions of counseling and proclivity to seek counseling services.     

African American Students in Private, Independent Schools: Parents and School Influences on Racial Identity Development

Although much research has focused on the public school experiences of African American students, few studies exist that explore their race-related experiences within an independent, private school context. Studies have suggested that, while private, independent schools may elevate the quality of African American students’ education, many of these students experience social isolation from their peers. Using a qualitative methodology, the current study explores the experiences of African American students attending a private, independent school. Moreover, this investigation explores how schools as well as parental contexts contribute to racial identity development. Results indicated the importance of parents, schools and other significant institutions as racial socialization agents as well as their influence on specific identity-related processes. Educational implications for findings are also discussed.     

美国社区学院的渊源、发展及启示

社区学院是美国教育发展中的一大创造。以社区学院为主要基地的社区教育系统已成为美国社区教育的特色。社区学院推动社区进步的功绩是众所公认的。探究它的渊源、发展对我们不无启示。     

Quality of Effort and Career Preparation Differences Between African American and White Community College Students

This study examined data from a random sample of 500 White students and 500 African American students who have taken the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire to determine which factors in the environment impact their career preparation. The results showed that interaction with faculty had the strongest impact on career preparation for all students. Counseling services were significant for African American students. The African American students indicated they put more effort into student-faculty interactions and peer interactions than White students, and they reported greater gains in career preparation.     

Mathematics Standards,Cultural Styles,and Learning Preferences: The Plight and the Promise of African American Students

The 2007 film Freedom Writers portrays the real-life experiences of Erin Gruwell, a teacher at an inner-city high school in Long Beach, California. This article discusses the educational theories underpinning Gruwell's pedagogical practice, as seen in Freedom Writers, and identifies four themes—rewriting curriculum, treating students as creators of knowledge, creating classroom community, and teaching as self-realization—that make Gruwell's teaching successful.     

Loud and Clear: The Importance of Telling the Stories of African American Male Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACT

The shortage of African American male teachers has been a consistent issue in education. However, there is still much to learn about the experiences and perspectives of African American men on the teaching pathway. By placing a spotlight on the complex positioning of African American men in education, this essay expounds on the importance of capturing the stories of African American males enrolled in teacher education programs.     

After Transfer: The Engagement of Community College Students at a Four-Year Collegiate Institution

This study investigated how educational experiences between community college transfer students and native students differed at a four-year institution. The study sample included groups of native students and community college transfer students, who were further divided by timing of matriculation to the study institution. Benchmarks from National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were used to assess the levels of students' collegiate experiences. After controlling for various explanatory variables, timing of matriculation to the senior institution showed significant differences in student engagement. Moreover, enrollment status, such as full- and part-time presented the largest effects on the levels of students' educational involvement regardless of student type.     

Teaching the Immigrant Child: Application of Child Development Theories

Immigrant children are an under-researched yet a steadily growing group. It is therefore compelling for practitioners to understand challenges these children are likely to encounter in the classroom so as to effectively meet their needs. In this article various theoretical perspectives of prominent child development theories are analyzed in an attempt to understand immigrant children in the classroom. Theories of Maslow, Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner are explicitly discussed. Some suggestions for practice are also provided.     

Cultural Vibrancy: Exploring the Preferences of African American Children Toward Culturally Relevant and Non-Culturally Relevant Lessons

Despite the laudable intent of various educational initiatives in raising the achievement level of all children, limited progress has been made. In an effort to diminish the achievement gap of students of color, some researchers have examined the cultural relevancy of the curriculum in promoting student achievement. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the preferences of African American children toward culturally relevant and non-culturally relevant lessons, through a six-week series of lessons in an American History classroom. Critical Race Theory and Racial Identity Development provided the theoretical underpinnings of this study. This study takes place in an ethnically diverse high school in Colorado. Culturally relevant lessons were rich in oral traditions, music, historical connections, and a structured culturally relevant field trip. Non-culturally relevant lessons were administered devoid of cultural referents, and utilized the existing curriculum guide. Study results revealed statistically significant findings for African American children’s preferences for culturally relevant lessons. These lessons were found relevant to their culture when administered by a culturally responsive and caring teacher. Recommendations are made for educators and administrators in promoting achievement through culturally relevant lessons and curriculum.     

大学生素质教育中教师思想引导的重要性

加强大学生素质教育是当前我国高等教育领域的一个热门话题,同时也是教育改革的一个重点内容。论述了素质及素质教育的基本内涵,并论述了当前我国大学生素质教育的现状,指出大学生思想对其各方面素质的影响及加强思想引导的重要性。     

非智力因素在英语课堂教学中的重要性及探索

Non-intelligent factors play important roles in the classroom teaching. This paper, by putting forward the problemexisting in language teaching in the classroom-the low efficiency of English teaching, mainly deals with the three non-intelli-gent factors-motivation, interest, and affect and further explore ways to develop them in order to improve the efficiency of lan-guage learning.     

Walking the Path Together from High School to STEM Majors and Careers: Utilizing Community Engagement and a Focus on Teaching to Increase Opportunities for URM Students

Despite decades of efforts to increase the participation of women and people from underrepresented minority groups (URM) in science and math majors and careers, and despite the increasing diversification of the US population as a whole (Planty et al in National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, 2008), participation in STEM majors and STEM careers (including STEM teaching) remains stubbornly male and white (Landivar in American Community Survey Reports, ACS-24, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2013; National Science Foundation and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics in Special Report NSF 15-311, Arlington, VA, 2015). This paper describes a project with two central goals: (1) to provide opportunities for URM high school students to engage in authentic science and math inquiry with the support of skilled college undergraduate mentors in the hope that these experiences will encourage these high school students to choose and persist in pursuing careers in STEM fields and, even if they do not choose those careers, to feel confident making complex, science or math-based decisions in their everyday lives and (2) to help the mentors (young people, mostly STEM majors) see teaching as a vital, intellectually challenging career that can provide them the opportunity to work for social justice in their communities. While it is unlikely that any one experience will help young people overcome the long odds that face them as they consider either path, our analysis suggests that projects of this kind can make a meaningful contribution to the effort.     

美国高校学生评教制度及启示

美国高校学生评教由来已久,直到20世纪初,形成了一种较为科学、系统通过运用量表类工具对教师进行评价的制度。本文通过分析的方法对美国高校学生评价制度进行分析与研究并发现：学生评教可以促进教师改进教学,提高教学质量;能够为其它学生选择该课程提供借鉴;帮助管理者进行人事决策等方面都具有重要意义。目前,学生评教已经作为美国高校教师评价体系中不可缺少的一部分。近年来,国内兴起了对于学生评教的理论研究与实践,并取得一些成果。我国学生评教活动起步较晚,在实践过程中难免遇到很多现实困境,而美国高校关于学生评教的经验与教训将为我们提供借鉴。     

Coordinated Strategies to Help the Whole Child: Examining the Contributions of Full-Service Community Schools

Full-service community schools are designed to increase students, and families' access to comprehensive and coordinated supports, services, and programs such as medical care, food aid, and enrichment activities. Despite widespread support, the research base documenting the efficacy of community schools is still emerging. Analyzing longitudinal data from 6 low-income, predominantly Latino community schools, this case study investigated whether students' participation in community-school programming influenced their attendance and achievement. Multilevel models indicated that youth who participated in extended learning programs or whose families were involved in family engagement opportunities exhibited greater attendance rates and achievement in math and English language arts, when compared to their nonparticipating peers. Findings provide promising evidence on the value of a comprehensive and integrated system of school supports that address the myriad needs of vulnerable student populations.     

高中体育教学中“学生自主学习自主体现”模式的实践

探索一种在高中体育教学中“学生自主学习自主体现”的教学模式。学生通过自学体育教学的某项内容,先从理论上进行分析,然后并结合实际情况设计锻炼的方法,在课中进行自我锻炼。培养学生学会学习、学会锻炼,为学生“终身体育”服务。此模式能体现学生是学习的主体、锻炼的主体,培养学生研究性学习的习惯;亦能体现教师是指导的主体,是学生学习的引路人。     

Physical Discipline Use and Child Behavior Problems in Low-Income,High-Risk African American Families

This article has been retracted.