This issue features seven studies that address affective as well as academic educational outcomes. The first article incorporates teachers' perceptions of the role of technology in supporting English language learners' writing. The second article highlights results for two cohorts of young children served by an Early Reading First program at…

This study extends previous research on the social psychological implications of pubertal timing to education by applying a life course framework to data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and from the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement Study. Early pubertal timing, which has previously been associated with major…

After more than five decades of racial integration and four decades of affirmative action, most of the nation's colleges and universities have not come close to eliminating the performance gap that separates many black, Hispanic, and Native American students from their white and Asian-American counterparts. Although some colleges say they are…

Significant progress has been made over the past four decades in enrolling more students from historically underrepresented groups in U.S. colleges and universities. While total enrollment increased by about 40% overall, minority student enrollment increased by 146%, with Hispanic undergraduate enrollment greatly outpacing other racial/ethnic…

This research investigated the impact of course placement decisions based on ACT scores or high school subject area grade averages (SGA) on ethnic and gender groups. Course success was predicted from ACT scores or SGA for four standard college freshman courses from 13 to 50 institutions. Mean between-subgroup differences in estimated probability…

The dynamics of underachievement among gifted and nongifted black students were studied with students in grades 6 through 9 in 5 Virginia public school districts. A traditional model of underachievement, defining it through a regression model, and a nontraditional model that used grade point averages (GPAs) and self-reported level of effort in…

The verbal item types of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) were studied to explore possible reasons for any differences found in subgroup performance and validity. Statistical differences among item types in active forms of the GRE verbal measure were documented; experimental subtests of matching statistical characteristics for the item types…

Among the three NTE Core Battery tests, Professional Knowledge purports to measure skills that are acquired only after academic experience as an education major, while Communication Skills and General Knowledge both purport to measure skills that do not require this specialized experience. The scores of education majors for the 1986-87 national…

This study examined differences and similarities in first-year college retention among Anglo, Black, and Hispanic students. Data were gathered on nearly 3,000 new undergraduate students who entered Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, between 1991 and 1995, including full-time, part-time, and transfer students. Data included demographic…

A study was undertaken at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas, to determine the experiences of students who transferred from JCCC to four-year institutions between summer 1993 and spring 1995. A sample of transfer students was obtained from responses to postcards sent to former students and records obtained from regional…

This study provides information regarding the validity of the regression model for the American College Testing Program assessment (ACT), incorporating high school course grades and ACT test scores, for predicting the first-year college grade point averages (GPAs) of ACT-tested special-needs students. The sample of special-tested students used in…

A study was conducted to determine if students from low socioeconomic environments have lower academic achievement compared to the academic achievement of students from higher socioeconomic environments. The sample consisted of 66 6th-grade science students at Travis Middle School, Temple, Texas. The students were divided into a low-income group…

This study compared 1985 and 1991 teacher education candidates on three different measures, to determine whether students entering the teaching profession today are qualitatively different from those in the past. One hundred essays written by preservice students at the College of Education at Eastern Kentucky University in 1985 and 1991 were…

A study was conducted at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to examine characteristics and outcomes for 216 former students who had transferred to State System of Higher Education (SSHE) universities in fall 1993. The SSHE universities provided data on the students regarding major, credits transferred, current enrollment status,…

The learning communities at New York's LaGuardia Community College consist of groups of students taking two or more classes together and providing each other with social and academic support, while professors integrate class content to broaden understanding. A study undertaken to compare the experience of students in the college's LC programs to…