Race-Relations Theories and the Racial Dynamics of Basketball Performance

Does the local, racial context influence racial differences in culture? I answer this question by testing predictions from group threat theory and the cultural division of labor about which high schools have greater black-white differences in basketball performance. Data are from the National Education Longitudinal Study are analyzed with multilevel ordered probit models. After controlling for predictors of sports performance in students’ families, schools, and neighborhoods, we find evidence for both theories. Black-white differences in basketball performance is greater in schools that are about 50% black, as group threat predicts, and in schools with more hierarchical segregation within them, as the cultural division of labor predicts. We also find that racial conflict within the schools mediates the effect of group threat. The theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.

Arts and cultural engagement, reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors, and potential mediators in two longitudinal cohorts of adolescents

Reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors (RACBs; those previously and problematically termed as “delinquent”) in adolescence are important for health and wellbeing. We investigated whether arts and cultural engagement reduced RACBs in mid- to late adolescence. We used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n=10,610) and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (n=15,214). Using structural equation modelling, we also explored mechanisms that might link arts and cultural engagement to RACBs. More arts and cultural engagement was associated with fewer RACBs, higher self-control scores, and fewer positive perceptions of RACBs concurrently and one to two years later. Arts and cultural engagement may provide opportunities for adolescents to realize positive developmental outcomes, reducing their risk of RACBs.

Educational Expectations among Immigrant Youth: Links to Segmented Assimilation and School Context

Although schools are important socialization venues for all children, they also serve as sites of acculturation for immigrant youth. According to segmented assimilation theory, first- and second-generation students experience divergent trajectories of incorporation, in part, because they are exposed to school contexts that support or stifle their attainment. I argue that such a process must have social-psychological underpinnings, which I examine by relating children’s educational expectations to their school environment during adolescence. Specifically, I use the National Education Longitudinal Study to assess differences in expectations by school context among immigrant and U.S.-origin youth between eighth and 12th grades. Results indicate that students in comparably disadvantaged school environments report lower expectations, though this relationship is driven by household resources and student characteristics. I also find that most students exhibit increases in their educational expectations, and that such changes are not systemically patterned by school context. This article sheds light on the goals of immigrant youth and the extent to which these plans transform from childhood to adolescence.

Student Achievement and College Selectivity: How Changes in Achievement During High School Affect the Selectivity of College Attended

Researchers who examine the link between high school achievement and educational outcomes include measures of achievement that conflate high school effects with achievement effects established prior to high school. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, this article disaggregates achievement into achievement prior to high school (in the eighth grade) and changes in achievement during high school. The authors find that the prestige of the colleges that students attend is largely solidified by the time students enter high school. They also find that among high socioeconomic status (SES) students, lower achievers can enhance the prestige of the colleges they will attend by moving up the achievement distribution during high school. However, even if their gains are well above average, the prestige of the colleges they are predicted to attend will not surpass students who enter high school at the top or middle of the eighth-grade achievement distribution. These findings are similar for low-SES students. In contrast, the effects of achievement for middle-SES students are largely solidified by high school.

Credits, Time, and Attainment: Articulation Policies and Success After Transfer

While state legislatures are increasingly enacting articulation policies, research to date provides little evidence that these policies enhance students’ likelihood of transfer. Based on a careful historical review of state statutes, the authors propose that articulation policies do not improve transfer rates because that is not their intended purpose; the main goal of articulation policies is to prevent the loss of credits when students transfer within state higher education systems. Subsequently, the authors use the National Education Longitudinal Study to evaluate articulation policies based on an alternative set of outcomes: attainment of a bachelor’s degree, time to degree, and credits required to complete a bachelor’s degree. They discuss the limitations of existing data and propose that future studies be designed to specifically evaluate the transfer or loss of credits applicable toward general education requirements.

Multivariate Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Modeling of the Reciprocal Longitudinal Relationship between Perceived Control and Academic Achievement

Although many studies have demonstrated positive associations between perceived control and academic achievement, few studies have actually explored which of the two constructs is the determinant of the other. There are only a few longitudinal studies on the relationship of perceived control and academic achievement. The present study examined the reciprocal longitudinal relation between perceived control and academic achievement. Further, considering the multiethnic background of the USA, this study investigated how the relationship between two constructs varies with ethnicity. Using a randomly selected sample of 1,500 students from Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White groups in the National Education Longitudinal Study data, Autoregressive Cross-lagged Modeling was performed to get a complete picture of the longitudinal relationship. Results showed a positive longitudinal effect of academic achievement on perceived control across the ethnic groups. Explanations for these findings are discussed.

An Examination of Referrals to the School Counselor by Race, Gender, and Family Structure

This article reports on a study addressing student referral differences based on family structure, gender, and race in teacher-initiated contact to school counselors. Researchers used secondary data from the National Education Longitudinal Study. They used logit log linear analyses in this data analysis. Significant differences existed for all three variables–race, gender, and family structure–with teachers more likely to contact the school counselor when the student was male, African American, or living in a non-intact family structure.