The role of high school racial composition and opportunities to learn in students' STEM college participation

We analyze longitudinal data from students who spent their academic careers in North Carolina (NC) public secondary schools and attended NC public universities to investigate the importance of high school racial composition and opportunities to learn in secondary school for choosing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major. We consider school racial composition and opportunities to learn as contexts that shape students' decisions regarding college majors. Results of cross‐classified hierarchical logistic models indicate that attending schools with predominantly White students is negatively associated with declaring a STEM major and with graduating with a STEM major irrespective of students' own race. The finding suggests that for students in North Carolina, attending racially isolated White high schools is related to a decrease in adolescents' participation in STEM during college.     

International Media

AMERICA'S OTHER VOICE: THE STORY OF RADIO FREE EUROPE AND RADIO LIBERTY by Sig Mickelson (New York: Praeger, 1983—price not given).

PRESS CONTROL AROUND THE WORLD edited by Jane Leftwich Curry and Joan R. Dassin (New York: Praeger, 1982—price not given).

METHODS FOR INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH edited by William B. Gudykunst and Young Yun Kim (Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications 1984—S28.00/$14.00).

A STUDY OF FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR THE VOICE OF AMERICA IN THE CHANGING WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING by John E. Ward, et al. (Research Program on Communications Policy, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139—$10.00, paper).     

Brown and black in white: The social adjustment and academic performance of Chicano and black students in a predominately white university

This article explores the academic and social experiences of Chicago and black students at UCLA. The analysis proceeds by examining differences in social backgrounds, high school and college experiences, and explores the relationship between these factors and college adjustment and achievement (GPA). Drawing upon recent theory on class reproduction and schooling we show particular concern with the role of social class in explaining differential outcomes. The findings indicate that blacks are more likely than Chicanos to feel alienated and perform poorly, and that social class makes no difference in these outcomes for blacks. However, middle class Chicanos perform better and are better adjusted than working class Chicanos. We discuss our findings in the light of theories of class reproduction, cultural capital, and racial signaling, suggesting that theories of reproduction must acknowledge the role of race in unequal school outcomes.     

The Learning and Teaching of Statistical Investigation in Teaching and Teacher Education

Current national standards in mathematicseducation in the United States call forrevision of content and pedagogy, including theaddition of statistics as a new topic in theelementary curriculum. The purpose of thisstudy is to examine the collaborative effortsof a mathematics educator and statistician tohelp prospective elementary teachers developstatistical knowledge and experience throughmerging statistical investigation into existingelementary curricula. Findings from this studyoffer insight into preservice teachers'statistical and pedagogical content knowledgebased on their application of the process ofstatistical investigation themselves and withchildren. Findings also indicate thatintegrating statistics into the elementarycurriculum is a more difficult and complexteaching and learning problem than expected.     

When Opting Out is Not a Choice: Implications for NCLB's Transfer Option from Charlotte,North Carolina

A key provision of No Child Left Behind is the opportunity for students to transfer from a low-performing school to a high-performing one. Drawing from a case study of school reform in Charlotte, North Carolina, this article examines the implementation and early outcomes of NCLB's voluntary transfer option for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School (CMS) district. For the 2004–05 school year, fully 92% of the eligible families did not exercise their choice to exit from their low-performing schools. The experiences of CMS illustrate how larger social, economic, and political contexts constrain the implementation of standards-based reforms like NCLB in general and, in particular, the limitations of the transfer option for improving academic achievement and educational equity.     

Facilitating the Development of Assessment Literacy

When STARS reform efforts were launched in 2000, teacher training in assessment was seen as crucial to the success of the program. The STARS reform efforts focus on both supporting the implementation of quality classroom assessment practices and implementing a district-based accountability system. The training programs described in this article were developed in response to one or both of these needs. Two of the programs were designed to provide training to experienced teacher. The other two programs were designed to meet the needs of pre-service teachers. Evidence suggests that the training programs have had a positive impact on teacher confidence, knowledge, and skill in key areas of assessment. In addition, there also appears to be evidence, while somewhat limited, which suggests students also experience positive outcomes.     

Cardboard Cities,Real Mathematics: Employing Quantitative Literacy to Study Gentrification in NYC

Abstract

Gentrification is a complex issue with very real repercussions for urban youth. Games make learning fun and provide a way for students to explore complex systems through recursive play. We describe a board game designed to help students explore ratios and proportional reasoning while simultaneously engaging the causes and effects of gentrification. Situated within a multidisciplinary first-semester learning community course, the game provides a model for later experiential learning opportunities as students are asked to study the effects of gentrification in one New York City neighborhood.