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The study is framed by critical race theory to explore the intersection of cultural and institutional factors that influence Latino students' completion of high school. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which factors related to students' background, culture, socioeconomic status, and institutional-support such as participation in mentoring and/or dropout-prevention programs, can predict Latino students' successful completion of high school. The overarching research question is: To what extent do family background, students' educational aspirations, and institutional support programs predict whether Latino students' complete high school? Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) with 2,217 Hispanic participants, the study used a logistic linear regression model for the analysis. The findings identified students' gender, socioeconomic status, first language, educational aspirations as well as the aspirations of their parents, school poverty concentration, and school support programs to be significant predictors of high school completion. The logistic regression model correctly classified between 78%, 85%, and 81% of the cases included in the group for timely completion according to first-, second-, and third-generation respectively. A similar classification was found for high school completion-within-two-years. The discussion highlights marked differences between the effect of dropout-prevention programs and that of mentoring programs on Latinos' high school completion. In addition, that the factors represented by individual and institutional variables might not operate in isolation but instead might intersect with socioeconomic and cultural factors that ultimately create barriers for this minority group.

This study identified parental practices that relate positively to high school students' academic performance. Parents of 643 high school students participated in the study. Data analysis, using a multiple linear regression model, shows parent-school connection, student gender, and race are significant predictors of student academic performance. In particular, aspects of parental involvement were found to vary significantly by student race; the study reveals a parallel racial gap in aspects of parental involvement and student performance. Results indicate, therefore, that efforts to close the racial gap in student achievement should pay equal attention to the racial gap in parental involvement practices. (Contains 3 tables.)

Scott and Bagaka's examine the connection between teachers' participation in professional collaboration activities and in professional development and their perception of the effectiveness of the district reform efforts. They also determine the extent to which teachers' assessment of the effectiveness of school reform efforts can lead to school improvement in the passage rates on the state standardized tests. Accounts detailing the results of the study are presented. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to examine developmental change associated with catching by children in Grades Kindergarten through 8. Children's performance was tested on the Catching Subtest of the Ohio State University Scale of Intra Gross Motor Assessment (OSU-SIGMA). More precisely, four cohorts of boys and girls in Grades K-8 (N = 340) from 1992 to 2000: in 1992 Grades K-8, in 1994 Grades 2-8, in 1996 Grades 4-8, and in 1998 Grades 6-8. In 2000, the original Kindergarten cohort was tested again. Data, analyzed by hierarchical nonlinear modeling, yielded significant differences in mean initial status (intercept) of all three cohorts, in mean growth rate (slope) for the K-8 cohort only, in initial status of the K-8 cohort, and for participants in baseball and softball.

Purpose: This research applies a stress and support conceptual model to investigate the effects of background characteristics, personal and job-related stressors, and workplace support on direct care workers' (DCW) job satisfaction. Design and Methods: Researchers collected survey data from 644 DCWs in 49 long-term care (LTC) organizations. The DCWs included nurse assistants in nursing homes, resident assistants in assisted living facilities, and home care aides in home health agencies. We examined the influence of components of the LTC stress and support model on DCW job satisfaction. Initially, we ran a multiple regression analysis by entering individual-level DCW predictors with job satisfaction as the outcome. Subsequently, we used hierarchical linear modeling to examine the influence of organizational factors on DCW job satisfaction after controlling for significant individual-level DCW variables. Results: Components of the model explained 51% of the variance in DCW job satisfaction. Background characteristics of DCWs were less important than personal stressors (e.g., depression), job-related stressors (e.g., continuing education), and social support (e.g., interactions with others) in predicting job satisfaction. Results from hierarchical linear modeling analysis showed that nursing homes compared to the two other types of LTC organizations had lower average DCW job satisfaction rates, as did organizations offering lower minimum hourly rates and those reporting turnover problems. Implications: Study findings underscore the importance of targeting both DCW-level and organizational-level factors to increase DCW job satisfaction. Key Words: Aides in nursing homes, Home health agencies, Assisted living

Abstract This study examined relationships among school reform, teacher efficacy, and passage rates on state math and reading tests. 1,101 teachers from 59 elementary schools were surveyed, and ten were [...]

U.S. Census Summary Tape File 1A, containing data for the whole population, is a better tool for measuring residential segregation between the white majority and the racial minority than Summary Tape File 3A, which contains data for a sample of the 1990 census. Researchers conducting studies on the extent of segregation rely highly on summary tape files and a good choice can make a lot of difference in the indexes. The localized population of some ethnic groups could not adequately be reflected by Tape File 3A, skewing some results and showing the importance of choice of files.

A study was carried out to reassess the changes in Black representation and segregation in institutions of higher education in 1986 as compared to 1976. The 'index of dissimilarity' was used to measure segregation, and the 'representation ratio' to measure Black representation. The findings revealed that segregation had decreased in 42 states from 44.1% in 1976 to 38.7% in 1986. Black representation in institutes of higher education declined between 1976 and 1986. The decline, however, was not related to the existence of historically Black institutions in a state.

Objective: This research was guided by a stress and support model to examine the effects of frontline workers' background characteristics, personal stressors, job-related stressors, and workplace support on satisfaction with supervision. Method: Survey data were collected from 644 workers in 49 long-term—care settings that employed them. Regression analysis were used to determine the effects of worker level and then Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) and organizational factors on the outcome. Results: Although all four variable categories made significant contributions to explaining satisfaction with supervision, the most powerful were personal stressors and job-related stressors. Results from HLM analysis showed frontline workers in nursing homes and those employed in for-profit organizations had lower levels of satisfaction with supervision. Discussion: Findings suggest organizational interventions to address workers' financial and health issues and management practices such as better training programs and peer mentoring could enhance workers' satisfaction with supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the difference in results obtained from using Summary Tape Files 1A (STF1A) and 3A (STF3A) in measuring residential segregation. The 1A file contains data for the whole population, while the 3A file is based on estimates derived from a sample of the 1990 census. Computation of segregation indexes for the 45 largest metropolitan areas (MSA/PMSA) in the United States, using both files, revealed large differences. The differences were found to be correlated negatively with the percentage of the minority group population in the metropolitan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]