Across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, the college aspirations of America's high school students continue to rise. Yet, in spite of their high aspirations, many students of color and many students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in the nation's postsecondary educational institutions. The under representation of…

This article presents questions regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) and its 2006 regulations. The author's answers to these questions are presented.

Using the results of model gifted and talented projects in Ohio (32 during Fiscal Year 1992-93 and 31 during 1994-95), this report provides information to local education agencies to improve the identification of and delivery of services to students who are gifted. Alternative identification strategies such as using a multifactored assessment are…

This report was based on the responses of more than 1,000 school employees to a survey on the physical environment at their schools. Many of the responses revealed some startling building conditions, from students who have to wear coats and gloves in class to rats and mice entering classrooms through windows and cracks in walls. The report…

The purpose of this policy brief is to describe the usage and trends of discipline for students with disabilities in Indiana to help inform local and state policymaking. The brief begins with a review of national and Indiana studies, followed by data that illustrate (1) how general and special education students compare with respect to suspension…

"Residential Group Care Quarterly" is published four times a year by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). This issue of "Residential Group Care Quarterly" contains the following articles: (1) Whatever Happened to Sound Clinical Reasoning? (Elizabeth Kohlstaedt); (2) Minorities as Majority Disproportionality in Child…

American society is becoming increasingly diverse. With only 62% of the college going youngsters being White, there is need for aggressive strategies to recruit and retain faculty who are diverse. Diversity has several educational benefits. It enriches students' educational experiences, offers multiple perspectives, promotes personal growth and…

Reviews literature on exclusion and overrepresentation in special education, finding lack of dialogue between these discourse communities. Analyzes concepts of "culture" and "space." Concludes that practitioners and researchers should acknowledge assumptions about difference, culture, and space to improve the experience of marginalized students…

Peer-assessed problem behavior was examined in relation to peer-group membership and social-network centrality in 59 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes. Most students with high peer-assessed problem behavior were students without disabilities, but students with disabilities were over represented at the highest levels of problem behavior.…

Minority students were about 25% of the student population at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995. But the composition of its honors and challenge classes did not reflect this diversity: Few minority students were taking challenge classes as underclassmen and even fewer were taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses as seniors. This paper…

Should all students study algebra in eighth grade? Would offering early access to algebra to all students help close the achievement gap among minority populations? Traditional educational policies that provide eighth grade algebra to selected students raise questions about equitable access to advanced opportunities for all students. Even when…

This article examines current issues regarding affirmative action in today's institutions of higher learning. It addresses the two recent cases decided before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the University of Michigan's policy. Two other recent and related issues, the "Hopwood" case and California's Proposition 209 approach, are also…

This review of the literature focuses first on the common reasons for the need for mentoring (professional development, changing roles, principal shortage, under representation of women, and barriers) and continues with a definition and description of mentoring. Finally, the current status of mentoring is summarized followed by a discussion of the…

The motion picture "Crash" does not focus on surface realism, but instead provides what appears to be an unbiased portrayal of various races and perspectives. Not only does the movie highlight the idea that all people carry racial baggage, but it also reminds them that often their greatest fear is of the "other." According to this author, it is…

Gifted students in our nation's schools are being denied needed services because enrollment of underserved minorities in special classes is typically disproportionate. This disproportionality is a direct result of long-standing social inequities and the consequences of poverty. We are punishing the innocent for the sins of a society that has been…