Social inequality is well established in the mental health of race-ethnic groups, but little is known about this disparity from adolescence to young adulthood. This study examined differences in trajectories of depressive symptoms across 4 race-ethnic groups (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians) using 3 waves of the National Longitudinal Study…

The social class attainment gap in education is now attracting an increased level of concern. Despite the efforts of the British New Labour government to address the continuing underachievement of working class pupils in England, there has been little progress. This paper reports on one aspect of a wider research study carried out in an Initial…

This paper examines the contribution of parents' education and children's gender on parental expectations of their children's future education and the role of parental perceptions of their child's competencies in the formation of their expectations. A group of university and vocationally educated parents (N = 418) were asked to estimate the…

American alcohol education and prevention efforts for youth emphasize abstinence. In support of this approach, epidemiologists conclude that early drinking by adolescents increases the lifetime likelihood of alcohol dependence and that overall drinking levels in a society are directly linked to drinking problems. At the same time, cultural,…

Data from the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) are used to examine immigrant youths' reading comprehension and mathematics' standardized scores as well as their parents' demographic characteristics and parent-child relations that could influence children's educational achievements. The comparisons were among parents who had…

Who wins in sociolinguistic research undertaken in minority ethnolinguistic communities? This is a question that might at first glance seem an odd one. In fact, however, the concept of winning--with the concomitant themes of games and gamesmanship, plays and players, gains and losses, rewards and punishments, and so on--is an apposite one wherever…

Can an explanation of the origins of social disparities in educational achievement be assisted by a critical examination of Bernstein's sociology? This central question is approached by a consideration of the status of Bernstein's socio-linguistic thesis. The focus is on the nature of the explanations provided. The paper asks: What is the…

To develop and implement diversity initiatives in the university community requires the effective implementation of initiatives in many areas. Diversity leaders should be cognizant of institutional values and attitudes and the vision espoused by the university's president. The diversity leader should inform the university community about…

Social class influences parent involvement in schooling. This book uses the case study method to compare family-school relationships in a working-class elementary school with those in an upper middle-class school, focusing on one first grade class in each school, and within the two schools, on 12 families, over the course of their children's first…

Teachers of English as a second language in Japan often have difficulty in stimulating spontaneous classroom discussion; Japanese social and classroom custom dictates subdued and respectful student behavior. Suggestions for overcoming this inhibition are made. (CHK)

A chronicle of controversies over testing (heredity-environment, experimenter bias, social class bias, tests as sorters for schools and society) and the difficulties that ensue when the scholar enters the arena of public policy. The thesis is offered that the hearing given to social evidence and issues depends on the times and the audience, with…

To improve preparation of school administrators, attention must be given the issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and social class. Two studies are presented. One, entitled "Preparation of Educational Administrators for the 21st Century: Graduate Student Voices on Issues of Diversity" (Joan Poliner Shapiro, Laurence Parker) captures the perspectives…

As data on the reliability and validity of ratings of infant temperament have accumulated, researchers have begun to ask what caregiver ratings really measure. An argument has been made that ratings of social behavior are less a reflection of enduring individual differences than a measure of rater characteristics and error variance. This study…

An emerging hypothesis about black progress since the civil rights movement in the United States postulates that economic polarization is occurring in the black community. This hypothesis, which incorporates conflicting earlier theories of declining versus persistent racial differences, suggests that talented and well-educated blacks are competing…

A cohort of students was monitored throughout their nine-year comprehensive school career to investigate social segregation in Swedish schools. The study began in the school year 1972-73 and the students came from six large municipalities: Stockholm, Botkyrka, Lidingo, Malmo, Linkoping, and Boras. It found that, despite reforms allowing all…