Showing papers on "Disadvantaged published in 2008"
TL;DR: The role of cognitive and noncognitive ability in shaping adult outcomes and the role of families in creating these abilities are discussed, as well as adverse trends in American families.
Abstract: American society is polarizing. Proportionately more American youth are graduating from college than ever before. At the same time, American-born youth are graduating from high school at lower rates than 40 years ago. This paper reviews and interprets these trends. The origins of inequality are examined and policies to alleviate it are analyzed. Families play a powerful role in shaping adult outcomes. The accident of birth is a major source of inequality. Recent research by Cunha and Heckman (2007a, 2008b) shows that about half of the inequality in the present value of lifetime earnings is due to factors determined by age 18. Compared to 50 years ago, relatively more American children are being born into disadvantaged families where investments in children are smaller than in advantaged families. Policies that supplement the child rearing resources available to disadvantaged families reduce inequality and raise productivity.
1,044 citations
TL;DR: A randomized trial evaluated the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management and Child Social and Emotion curriculum and found support for the efficacy of this universal preventive curriculum for enhancing school protective factors and reducing child and classroom risk factors faced by socio-economically disadvantaged children.
Abstract: Background: School readiness, conceptualized as three components including emotional self-regulation, social competence, and family/school involvement, as well as absence of conduct problems play a key role in young children's future interpersonal adjustment and academic success. Unfortunately, exposure to multiple poverty-related risks increases the odds that children will demonstrate increased emotional dysregulation, fewer social skills, less teacher/parent involvement and more conduct problems. Consequently intervention offered to socio-economically disadvantaged populations that includes a social and emotional school curriculum and trains teachers in effective classroom management skills and in promotion of parent–school involvement would seem to be a strategic strategy for improving young children's school readiness, leading to later academic success and prevention of the development of conduct disorders.
Methods: This randomized trial evaluated the Incredible Years (IY) Teacher Classroom Management and Child Social and Emotion curriculum (Dinosaur School) as a universal prevention program for children enrolled in Head Start, kindergarten, or first grade classrooms in schools selected because of high rates of poverty. Trained teachers offered the Dinosaur School curriculum to all their students in bi-weekly lessons throughout the year. They sent home weekly dinosaur homework to encourage parents’ involvement. Part of the curriculum involved promotion of lesson objectives through the teachers’ continual use of positive classroom management skills focused on building social competence and emotional self-regulation skills as well as decreasing conduct problems. Matched pairs of schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions.
Results: Results from multi-level models on a total of 153 teachers and 1,768 students are presented. Children and teachers were observed in the classrooms by blinded observers at the beginning and the end of the school year. Results indicated that intervention teachers used more positive classroom management strategies and their students showed more social competence and emotional self-regulation and fewer conduct problems than control teachers and students. Intervention teachers reported more involvement with parents than control teachers. Satisfaction with the program was very high regardless of grade levels.
Conclusions: These findings provide support for the efficacy of this universal preventive curriculum for enhancing school protective factors and reducing child and classroom risk factors faced by socio-economically disadvantaged children.
827 citations
TL;DR: Differences in the behavioral models between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged users who have direct usage experience are theorized and empirically tested and reveal distinct behavioral models and isolate the key factors that differentially impact the two groups.
Abstract: Digital inequality is one of the most critical issues in the knowledge economy. The private and public sectors have devoted tremendous resources to address such inequality, yet the results are inconclusive. Theoretically grounded empirical research is needed both to expand our understanding of digital inequality and to inform effective policy making and intervention. The context of our investigation is a city government project, known as the LaGrange Internet TV initiative, which allowed all city residents to access the Internet via their cable televisions at no additional cost. We examine the residents' post-implementation continued use intentions through a decomposed theory of planned behavior perspective, which is elaborated to include personal network exposure. Differences in the behavioral models between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged users who have direct usage experience are theorized and empirically tested. The results reveal distinct behavioral models and isolate the key factors that differentially impact the two groups. The advantaged group has a higher tendency to respond to personal network exposure. Enjoyment and confidence in using information and communication technologies, availability, and perceived behavioral control are more powerful in shaping continued ICT use intention for the disadvantaged. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
604 citations
Journal Article•
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481 citations
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: The findings from Phase 2 of the study of the first-year experience, which focused on students who did not return in 2006-07 for the second year of full-time undergraduate study at their original institution, are detailed and discussed with reference to the possibility of the enhancement of the student experience.
Abstract: This report details the findings from Phase 2 of the study of the first-year experience, which focused on students who did not return in 2006-07 for the second year of full-time undergraduate study at their original institution. It also alludes to the findings from the on-course experiences of first-year students in the preceding academic year (Phase 1), and makes some comparisons with a study of non-completion that was conducted in the mid-1990s. In middle of the academic year 2005–06, students in a variety of institutions were generally very positive about their first-year experience, judging by some 7000 responses to the Phase 1 survey conducted roughly six months after enrolment. There was a high level of confidence that successful completion of the programme would result in the gaining of graduate-level employment. However, a number of factors were identified which indicated that, for some, student continuation was at risk, the main factors being inadequate prior information about the programme and/or the institution, and a concern regarding the financing of studies. Free-text responses indicated that the social side of higher education was particularly important to new students. Perhaps rather surprisingly, the responses to the Phase 1 survey of students from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds did not differ greatly from those of their more advantaged peers. The opportunity was taken in the present report to subject the Phase 1 data to further analyses which suggested that, although overall differences were small, there were signs that the relatively disadvantaged were less positive about some aspects of their experience. The Phase 2 study consisted of a postal questionnaire to all students who did not return for their second year at 25 varied institutions, based on 44 closed items similar to those used a decade earlier. The number of usable responses was 462. The general pattern of responses was quite similar to that obtained a decade ago from students who discontinued their studies in the mid-1990s, the major influences on non-continuation being: poor choice of programme; lack of personal commitment to study; teaching quality; lack of contact with academic staff; inadequate academic progress; and finance. Within this broad similarity, however, there were some hints that the issue of contact with academic staff was becoming more significant for continuation, and that finance was declining in significance. Consistent with the earlier study, nearly three-quarters of the respondents either had already re-engaged, or intended to re-engage with, higher education. The responses were analysed with respect to different demographic variables: qualitative findings are presented in this report, with detailed statistics being available on the Higher Education Academy’s website (www.heacademy.ac.uk). The inclusion on the survey form of spaces for students to write freely about their personal experiences encouraged some vivid descriptions of experience which, while not necessarily representative, complement the statistical analyses of the responses to the closed questions. The findings of Phase 2 are discussed with reference to the possibility of the enhancement of the student experience. Some aspects, such as the adoption of teaching approaches that actively engage students from the outset, are within institutions’ compass. Others, such as the choice-making of potential students, are partially amenable to institutional interventions. The projected downturn in the number of young people in the UK from around 2011 suggests that, for some institutions at least, a clear focus on the first-year experience of students will be vital.
319 citations
Book•
21 Nov 2008
TL;DR: Early childhood assessment can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately.
Abstract: The assessment of young children's development and learning has recently taken on new importance. Private and government organizations are developing programs to enhance the school readiness of all young children, especially children from economically disadvantaged homes and communities and children with special needs. Well-planned and effective assessment can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better outcomes for children. This book affirms that assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately. Otherwise, assessment of children and programs can have negative consequences for both. The value of assessments therefore requires fundamental attention to their purpose and the design of the larger systems in which they are used. Early Childhood Assessment addresses these issues by identifying the important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and the quality and purposes of different techniques and instruments for developmental assessments.
309 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the role of traditional sports clubs and local government in delivering social inclusion programs and the emerging provision of community based sport activities by community/social development organisations is detailed.
307 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the literature on segmented assimilation and alternative theoretical models on the adaptation of the second generation, summarize the theoretical framework developed in the course of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, and present evidence from its third survey in South Florida bearing on alternative hypotheses.
Abstract: The authors review the literature on segmented assimilation and alternative theoretical models on the adaptation of the second generation, summarize the theoretical framework developed in the course of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, and present evidence from its third survey in South Florida bearing on alternative hypotheses. The majority of second-generation youth are progressing educationally and occupationally, but a significant minority is left behind. The latter group is not distributed randomly across nationalities but corresponds closely to predictions based on immigrant parents' human capital, family type, and modes of incorporation. Members of the second generation, whether successful or unsuccessful, learn English and American culture, but it makes a big difference whether they assimilate by joining the middle class or the marginalized, and largely racialized, population at the bottom of the society. Ethnographic narratives put into perspective quantitative results and highlight ...
278 citations
TL;DR: The authors make use of newly linked administrative data to better understand the determinants of higher education participation amongst individuals from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, finding that poor attainment in secondary schools is more important in explaining lower HE participation rates amongst students from disadvantaged backgrounds than barriers arising at the point of entry into HE.
Abstract: This paper makes use of newly linked administrative data to better understand the determinants of higher education participation amongst individuals from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It is unique in being able to follow two cohorts of students in England – those who took GCSEs in 2001-02 and 2002-03 – from age 11 to age 20. The findings suggest that while there remain large raw gaps in HE participation (and participation at high-status universities) by socio-economic status, these differences are substantially reduced once controls for prior attainment are included. Moreover, these findings hold for both state and private school students. This suggests that poor attainment in secondary schools is more important in explaining lower HE participation rates amongst students from disadvantaged backgrounds than barriers arising at the point of entry into HE. These findings highlight the need for earlier policy intervention to raise HE participation rates amongst disadvantaged youth.
237 citations
TL;DR: Members of advantaged groups generally preferred to talk about commonalities between the groups more than about group-based power, and this desire was greater with higher levels of identification, but perceiving that their group's advantage was illegitimate increased the desire ofadvantaged group members to address power in intergroup interactions.
Abstract: This work investigated how group-based power affects the motivations and preferences that members of advantaged and disadvantaged groups bring to situations of contact. To measure the preferred content of interactions, desires to address particular topics in intergroup contact were assessed for both experimental groups (Study 1) and real groups (Study 2). As predicted, across both studies, the desire to talk about power was greater among members of disadvantaged than of advantaged groups. This difference was mediated by motivation for change in group-based power. Study 2 further demonstrated that more highly identified members of disadvantaged groups wanted to talk about power more. Members of advantaged groups generally preferred to talk about commonalities between the groups more than about group-based power, and this desire was greater with higher levels of identification. However, perceiving that their group's advantage was illegitimate increased the desire of advantaged group members to address power...
236 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined experimentally whether student gender and socioeconomic status (SES) affect teachers' expectations of students and found that teachers are likely to develop negative attitudes toward low-SES students in general, but especially boys.
Abstract: The authors examined experimentally whether student gender and socioeconomic status (SES) affect teachers' expectations of students. Participants were 106 teachers who read a scenario about a hypothetical student with academic and behavioral challenges. The authors systematically varied the gender and SES of the student to create 4 conditions. Teachers rated high-SES boys more favorably than low-SES boys, but low-SES girls more favorably than high-SES girls. Teachers perceived that low-SES students have less promising futures than do high-SES students. Findings suggest that teachers are likely to develop negative attitudes toward low-SES students in general, but especially boys. These preconceived attitudes may help explain why teacher efficacy tends to be lower in economically disadvantaged schools.
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that for disadvantaged children residing in small towns and rural areas, Universal Pre-K availability increases both reading and mathematics test scores at fourth grade as well as the probability of students being on-grade for their age.
Abstract: Universal Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs differ from widely known and extensively evaluated programs like Head Start and Perry Preschool because access is open to all children of the appropriate age. To estimate the intent-to-treat effects of these programs on the long term educational achievement of children, I use a differences-in-differences framework and individual-level data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. For disadvantaged children residing in small towns and rural areas, Universal Pre-K availability increases both reading and mathematics test scores at fourth grade as well as the probability of students being on-grade for their age. Increases in some measures of achievement also were seen among other groups, though the patterns were less uniform across outcome measures. The results correspond with other work showing children living in less densely populated areas are those most likely to enroll in preschool because of the program's availability.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the resilience of young people leaving care and found that three main groups of young adults can be identified from leaving care research studies: young people "moving on", "survivors" and "victims".
Abstract: How do we promote the resilience of young people leaving care? This article explores this question by bringing together research findings on the resilience of young people from disadvantaged family backgrounds with research studies on young people leaving care. These findings are applied to young people during their journey to adulthood: their lives in care, their transitions from care, and their lives after care. It is suggested that three main groups of young people can be identified from leaving care research studies: young people “moving on”, “survivors” and “victims”. It is argued that promoting the resilience of young people leaving care will require more comprehensive services across their life course. This will include, first, better quality care, providing more stability, holistic preparation, a positive sense of identity and assistance with education; second, opportunities for more gradual transitions from care, less accelerated and compressed, and more akin to normative transitions; and third, ...
TL;DR: During 15-minute visits, physicians are expected to form partnerships with patients and their families, address complex acute and chronic biomedical and psychosocial problems, provide preventive care, coordinate care with specialists, and ensure informed decision making that respects patients' needs and preferences.
Abstract: There is so much to do in primary care, and so little time to do it. During 15-minute visits, physicians are expected to form partnerships with patients and their families, address complex acute and chronic biomedical and psychosocial problems, provide preventive care, coordinate care with specialists, and ensure informed decision making that respects patients' needs and preferences. This is a challenging task during straightforward visits, and it is nearly impossible when caring for socially disadvantaged patients with complex biomedical and psychosocial problems and multiple barriers to care. Consider the following scenario.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: The early years in the lives of children are important in creating inequality and in producing skills for the workforce as mentioned in this paper, and capitalizing on this knowledge requires a major refocus of public policy.
Abstract: The early years in the lives of children are important in creating inequality and in producing skills for the workforce. Capitalizing on this knowledge requires a major refocus of public policy. Interventions that supplement the early lives of children from disadvantaged families can improve their cognitive and socioemotional skills, reduce inequality and raise productivity. Their returns are much higher returns than those of later remedial interventions applied to the same children.
TL;DR: It is suggested that an imbalance in the inability to vividly imagine positive but not negative future events may curtail the ability of high dysphorics to be optimistic, and therapeutic strategies that address both positive-specific imagery biases hold promise for depression treatment innovation.
TL;DR: This article found that evaluating schools on achievement mixes the effects of school and nonschool students, which makes it difficult to identify which schools are failing and which students perform poorly on achievement tests.
Abstract: To many, it seems obvious which schools are failing—schools whose students perform poorly on achievement tests. But since evaluating schools on achievement mixes the effects of school and nonschool...
TL;DR: This paper examined the gendered nature of perceived risk and risk-management strategies among urban African-American adolescents and found that risk and avoidance strategies are strikingly different for young women and young men.
Abstract: Research consistently reveals that fear of crime and perceived risk are demographically and ecologically patterned. Women and individuals in disadvantaged community settings report increased fear and perceptions of risk. For women, these fears and perceptions are tied to concerns about sexual violence specifically, whereas for individuals in distressed neighborhoods, crime rates, “incivilities,” and poor police-community relations are often identified as important correlates. Here, we build from the insights of previous research by examining the gendered nature of perceived risk and risk-management strategies among urban African-American adolescents. Our findings suggest that both risk and risk-avoidance strategies are strikingly different for young women and young men and are shaped by the gendered organizational features of neighborhood life. We propose that future research will benefit by continuing to investigate how social vulnerabilities function in tandem to structure risks across ecological settings.
01 Jun 2008
TL;DR: This article explored the relationship between socioeconomic factors and two types of transfer among four-year college students and found that reverse transfer is more common among students from less-educated families partly because of lower levels of academic performance during their freshman year.
Abstract: Reducing socioeconomic differences in college transfer requires understanding how and why parental education, occupational class, and family income are associated with changing colleges. Building on prior studies of traditional community college transfer, the authors explore relationships between those factors and two types of transfer among four-year college students. The results indicate that reverse transfer—the move from a four-year to a community college—is more common among students from less-educated families partly because of lower levels of academic performance during their freshman year. In contrast, students from advantaged backgrounds in terms of class and income are more likely than are others to engage in a lateral transfer—from a four-year to a four-year college—which may reflect individual preferences for changing colleges, rather than a reaction to poor academic performance. Implications for policy and practice are discussed in light of the fact that only reverse transfer is associated with lower rates of completion of bachelor's degrees.
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper found that while women are significantly disadvantaged by various measures of human and political capital, these disadvantages explain little of the observed gender gaps in employment status and earnings.
Abstract: Previous research on China's labor market gender gaps has emphasized the human and political capital disadvantages of women and new discrimination in the reform era. Analyzing the China Urban Labor Survey/China Adult Literacy Survey, this paper shows that while women are significantly disadvantaged by various measures of human and political capital, these disadvantages explain little of the observed gender gaps in employment status and earnings. Instead, gender gaps in employment and earnings are strongly related to family status. It is only married women and mothers who face significant disadvantages. This finding is likely tied to the fact that wives and mothers spend much more time than husbands and fathers doing household chores, even net of controls for potential earnings. These results suggest that research on gender disparities in urban China would be complemented by additional attention to family-work conflict, a topic which looms large in research on gender and labor in most other countries.
TL;DR: It is found that disadvantaged boys with high status in violent groups are at much greater risks of high school dropout than other students.
Abstract: Research shows that peer status in adolescence is positively associated with school achievement and adjustment. However, subculture theories of juvenile delinquency and school-based ethnographies suggest that (1) disadvantaged boys are often able to gain some forms of peer status through violence and (2) membership in violent groups undermines educational attainment. Building on these ideas, we use peer network data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine whether peer status within highly violent groups increases male risks of high school dropout. Consistent with the subcultural argument, we find that disadvantaged boys with high status in violent groups are at much greater risks of high school dropout than other students.
TL;DR: The article outlines some of the greatest challenges for decision makers: holistic early childhood programs that target the most disadvantaged children; policies to make school free, accessible, and safe for girls and boys; and scaling up adult literacy programs.
Abstract: In the year 2000, more than 160 governments adopted six goals aimed at vastly improving learning opportunities for children, youth, and adults by 2015. This article, based on an annual international report that tracks progress toward these goals and levels of aid to basic education, analyzes the significance of expanding learning opportunities for human, social, and economic development. It assesses where the world stands on meeting its commitments—developing nations and donors included. The picture is mixed, with considerable progress in some cases, especially toward universal primary education and gender parity at the primary level. Much less attention is being given to other age groups, notably through early childhood care and education programs and adult literacy—a global scourge affecting 781 million adults. Low education quality, lack of learning opportunities for the most disadvantaged groups, and insufficient aid to basic education are holding many countries back. The article outlines some of the greatest challenges for decision makers: holistic early childhood programs that target the most disadvantaged children; policies to make school free, accessible, and safe for girls and boys; and scaling up adult literacy programs. Education quality—from the recruitment and training of teachers to textbooks, sufficient instructional time, and initial instruction in the mother tongue—has a documented influence on learning outcomes. Increased domestic and international spending on education is essential. Such an agenda requires long-term vision and strong political commitment at the highest level.
TL;DR: This article outlines both challenges and opportunities for psychology of issues related to diversity in education and work, and discusses of work-related legislative and public policy fronts that can be informed and influenced by the contributions of psychologists.
Abstract: This article outlines both challenges and opportunities for psychology of issues related to diversity in education and work. For the purposes of this discussion, "diverse" populations include four groups currently marginalized and disadvantaged in the U.S. workplace: women, people of color, sexual minorities, and people with disabilities. An overview of employment participation patterns for these groups is presented, workplace barriers arising from marginalized status are highlighted, and the article concludes with a discussion of work-related legislative and public policy fronts that can be informed and influenced by the contributions of psychologists.
TL;DR: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 40 Head Start and state preschool classrooms, with 278 children, to determine whether a pre-kindergarten mathematics intervention was effective as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Research indicates that a socioeconomic status-related gap in mathematical knowledge appears early and widens during early childhood. Young children from economically disadvantaged families receive less support for mathematical development both at home and in preschool. Consequently, children from different socioeconomic backgrounds enter elementary school at different levels of readiness to learn a standards-based mathematics curriculum. One approach to closing this gap is the development and implementation of effective mathematics curricula for public preschool programs enrolling economically disadvantaged children. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 40 Head Start and state preschool classrooms, with 278 children, to determine whether a pre-kindergarten mathematics intervention was effective. Intervention teachers received training that enabled them to implement with fidelity, and a large majority of parents regularly used math activities teachers sent home. Intervention and control...
TL;DR: The authors investigated the complexity of teacher questions in 14 preschool classrooms serving economically disadvantaged 4-year-olds and found that management questions characterized 33.5% of all teacher utterances, with management questions occurring most frequently (44.8%), followed by more cognitively challenging questions (32.5%) and less cognitively difficult questions (22.7%).
Abstract: Research Findings: This study investigated the complexity of teacher questions in 14 preschool classrooms serving economically disadvantaged 4-year-olds. The purposes were to explore the frequency and complexity of teacher questions and to determine the extent to which question types varied for different classroom contexts. Using teacher utterances from 24-min transcripts of videotaped classroom observations, we used a logistic regression framework to determine the frequency of teacher questioning and the extent to which this related to classroom context. Results indicated that questions characterized 33.5% of all teacher utterances, with management questions occurring most frequently (44.8%), followed by more cognitively challenging questions (32.5%) and less cognitively challenging questions (22.7%). The frequency of use for the different question types varied by classroom context; specifically, management questioning occurred most frequently in teacher-directed and child-directed contexts, whereas more...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted a gender impact evaluation study on the dynamics of participation in community associations in Kenya and found that outside funding changed the nature of membership and leadership in women's community organizations in a way that weakened the role of the disadvantaged.
Abstract: This brief summarizes the results of a gender impact evaluation study, entitled Outside funding and the dynamics of participation in community associations in Kenya. The study observed that the poor and disadvantaged are widely seen as having weak organizations and low rates of participation in community associations, impeding their political representation and economic advancement. Many policy initiatives aim to build civic participation among the disadvantaged by funding local community associations. Outside funding changed the nature of membership and leadership in women's community organizations in a way that weakened the role of the disadvantaged. There were new entrants in the treatment group who had higher levels of education and income. There is some evidence that treatment groups experienced more changes in leadership. Funding for the study derived from Social Capital Initiative, NBER.
TL;DR: Social capital (SC) describes the advantage individuals and communities can gain from social participation, mutual assistance and trust as mentioned in this paper, and the provision of travel options for those who are socially disadvantaged is a major rationale for providing public transport.
08 Aug 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider young people's occupational choices at the age of 15 in relation to their educational attainment, the occupations of their parents and their actual occupations when they are in their early 20s and find that children from more occupationally advantaged families are more ambitious, achieve better educationally and have better occupational outcomes than other children.
Abstract: The article considers young people's occupational choices at the age of 15 in relation to their educational attainment, the occupations of their parents and their actual occupations when they are in their early 20s. It uses data from the British Household Panel Survey over periods of between five and ten years. The young people in the survey are occupationally ambitious: many more aspire to professional, managerial and technical jobs than the likely availability of these occupations. In general ambitions and educational attainment and intentions are well aligned but there are also many instances of misalignment; either people wanting jobs which their educational attainments and intentions will not prepare them for, or people with less ambitious aspirations than their educational performance would justify. Children from more occupationally advantaged families are more ambitious, achieve better educationally and have better occupational outcomes than other children. However, where young people are both ambitious and educationally successful the occupational outcomes are as good for those from disadvantaged as advantaged families. In contrast, where young people are neither ambitious nor educationally successful, the outcomes for those from disadvantaged homes are very much poorer than for other young people. The article suggests that while choice is real it is also heavily constrained for many people. A possible educational implication of the study is that career interventions could be directed at under-ambitious but academically capable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
TL;DR: This article used the National Educational Longitudinal Study to model educational inequality as a feedback process among course placement, student engagement, and academic achievement, separately for students in schools with high and low percentages of African American students.
Abstract: This study uses national data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study to model educational inequality as a feedback process among course placement, student engagement, and academic achievement, separately for students in schools with high and low percentages of African American students. Results find strong effects of placement, engagement, and performance on one another over time and across both school types. However, the results also show that racial segregation is detrimental to the overall learning process for students between 8th and 10th grade. The author concludes that White and African American students in predominantly Black, particularly urban, schools are significantly disadvantaged at each point of the learning process compared to students in other school types.