Narrowing the Achievement Gap (eBook)

Susan J. Paik is Associate Professor at the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests include urban and international studies, educational productivity, family-school partnerships, minority learning, research methods and evaluation. She has participated in education projects in Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and the U.S, where she founded and directed a character-development program for inner city children and youth. Dr. Paik has presented her work at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Oxford University in England, University of Cape Town in South Africa, University of Bologna in Italy, University of Oviedo in Spain as well as professional meetings in South America, Australia, Germany, and the U.S. She has been awarded Young Scholar by the Stanford University Hoover Institution Koret K-12 Task Force. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, fellowships, grants, including the AERA-NSF-IES grant, NIMH fellowship for prevention, Center for Urban Educational Research and Development (CUERD) fellowship, Chancellor’s Service Award, Teaching Incentive Award, and Early Outreach Award for her dedication and service to inner city youth by the University of Illinois. Among many published articles, she is the author of a research monograph called Educational Productivity in South Korea and the United States published by the International Journal of Educational Research (IJER). She is the co-author of a booklet called Effective Educational Practices published by UNESCO and translated and disseminated to almost 150 countries. Dr. Paik is the editor of Advancing Educational Productivity: Policy Implications from National Databases. She has recently co-edited a special IJER journal issue on family-school partnerships. Herbert J. Walberg was on the faculty of Harvard University and is now Emeritus University Scholar and Research Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr Walberg is also Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University and a Principal Investigator at the U.S Department of Education-sponsored Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement and the U.S. Institute of Education-sponsored National Research and Development Center on School Choice, Competition, and Achievement. An editor or author of more than 50 books, he has contributed more than 300 papers to peer-reviewed psychology and education journals, and he has written extensively for educators and policy makers. Dr. Walberg currently edits a series of booklets on effective education practices for the International Academy of Education that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Educational Organization distributes in hard copy in more than 150 countries and on the Internet for down loading and re-publication. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Academy of Education, and the Royal Statistical Society. In 2004, the U.S. Senate confirmed his presidential appointment to the National Board for Education Sciences, which will provide guidance and oversight for federal research on education.

Foreword 6
Series Preface 8
Contents 10
Introduction and Overview 12
1.1. Background on Minority Learning 14
1.2. Minority Students: A Growing Population 15
1.3. Chapter Overviews 17
1.3.1. Part One: Culturally Diverse Families and Schooling 18
1.3.2. Part Two: Histories, Issues of Immigration, and Schooling Experiences 19
1.3.3. Part Three: Socio-cultural Issues on Teaching, Learning, and Development 20
1.4. Concluding Remarks and Acknowledgements 22
References 23
Culturally Diverse Families and Schooling 25
Fostering Latino Parent Involvement in the Schools: Practices and Partnerships 26
2.1. Latino Presence in the U.S. 27
2.2. Latinos at Work 27
2.3. Education Status 28
2.4. Preparing for College 29
2.5. The Mother/Daughter Program 30
2.6. Mother/Daughter Program Activities 32
2.7. The University’s Role 34
2.8. Changing the Vision 34
2.9. Personal Power 36
2.10. Proactive School Engagement 37
2.11. Parents’ Continued Learning 37
2.12. Conclusion and Recommendations 38
2.13. Recommendations for Family-School-Community Partnerships 39
References 40
Parenting, Social-Emotional Development, and School Achievement of African American Youngsters 42
3.1. Economic Resources and Youngsters’ Adjustment 43
3.2. Economic Resources and Parents’ Functioning 45
3.3. Parents’ Psychological Adjustment, Interpersonal Relations, and Parenting Practices 46
3.4. Parenting Practices and Youngsters’ Adjustment 47
3.5. Moderating Processes 47
3.6. School Context 48
3.7. Other Social Correlates of Adjustment and Achievement 49
3.8. Conclusions and Recommendations 50
References 52
Asian Pacific American Cultural Capital: Understanding Diverse Parents and Students 58
4.1. Asian Pacific American Diversity 58
4.2. Asian Pacific Americans 59
4.3. Ecology of Human Development 60
4.4. The Four Ecological Environments and Their Impact on Human Development 62
4.5. Conclusion and Recommendations 69
References 71
Histories, Issues of Immigration, and Schooling Experiences 74
The Mobility/ Social Capital Dynamic: Understanding Mexican American Families and Students 75
5.1. Understanding Mexican American Student Performance 76
5.2. Functional and Critical Interpretations of Social Capital 77
5.3. The Mobility/Social Capital Dynamic 78
5.3.1. The Incidence of Mobility 78
5.4. The Impact of Mobility on Students and Schools 81
5.5. The Causes of Student Mobility 84
5.6. Discussion of Policy Implications 87
5.7. Accountability Mechanisms 87
5.8. Schools at the Center of Social Capital Development 89
5.9. Conclusion and Recommendations 91
5.9.1. Reduce Unnecessary Student Mobility 92
5.9.2. Develop Social Capital 92
References 93
Educational Attainment of Immigrant and Non- Immigrant Young Blacks 98
6.1. Black Historical Presence 98
6.2. Socialization, Identity, and Achievement of Black Students 99
6.2.1. Impact of Socioeconomic Conditions 100
6.2.2. Impact of Socialization in School 100
6.3. Cultural Patterns and Identities 101
6.4. Immigration, Assimilation Models, and Educational Attainment 103
6.4.1. Classic and Segmented Assimilation 103
6.5. Generational Effects 104
6.6. Other Factors 105
6.7. Findings from U.S. 2000 Census Data 106
6.8. Discussion of Findings 108
6.9. Conclusion and Recommendations 110
6.9.1. Educational Policies and Children’s SES Status 110
6.10. Diversity and School Reform 110
6.11. Black Teachers and Black Immigrant Students 111
References 112
Divergent Origins and Destinies: Children of Asian Immigrants 115
7.1. Contemporary Asian Immigration and Intragroup Diversity 116
7.2. Diversity in Socioeconomic Backgrounds 116
7.3. Diversity in Settlement Patterns 118
7.4. Diversity in Language and Religion 119
7.5. The Asian American Second Generation Coming of Age: Opportunities and Constraints 119
7.6. Moving Ahead in Society: Culture Versus Structure 123
7.7. Ethnic Social Environment Conducive to Education: Suburban Chinese Language Schools 125
7.8. Multilevel Social Integration: Bifurcation of Vietnamese Refugee Children 127
7.9. Conclusion and Recommendations 130
References 132
Socio-cultural Issues on Teaching, Learning, and Development 135
Educational Issues and Effective Practices for Hispanic Students 136
8.1. The Educational Status of Hispanic Students in the United States 137
8.2. Educational Factors Impacting the Underachievement of Hispanic Students 138
8.2.1. Need for Qualified Teachers 138
8.2.2. Inappropriate Teaching Practices 139
8.2.3. At-Risk School Environments 140
8.3. Factors Associated with the Educational Success of Hispanic Students 141
8.3.1. Effective Teaching Practices for Hispanic Students 141
8.3.2. Effective School Factors for Hispanic Students 144
8.3.3. Language and School-Based Intervention Programs for Hispanic Students 146
8.4. Implications for Research on Effective Practices 150
8.5. Conclusion and Recommendations 150
References 152
Improving the Schooling Experiences of African American Students 157
9.1. The Blind can’t Lead the Blind: School Leadership that Makes a Positive Difference for African American Students 158
9.2. How Effective School Leaders Improve Student Achievement 158
9.3. Seven Things that African American Students Need from their Teachers 160
9.4. Conclusion 168
9.5. A Final Story 169
9.6. Recommendations 169
References 171
The Truth and Myth of the Model Minority: The Case of Hmong Americans 175
10.1. Beyond Aggregate Data 176
10.2. The Hmong Case 178
10.2.1. Background 178
10.2.2. Signs of Progress 179
10.2.3. Continuing Barriers to Success 182
10.3. Parental Involvement & Social Capital
10.4. Conclusions and Recommendations 186
References 187
Conclusion and Recommendations 189
11.1. Integrative Themes 190
11.2. National Invitational Conference: Consensual Recommendations and Next Steps 193
11.2.1. Research 193
11.2.2. Policy 194
11.2.3. Practice 194
11.3. Conclusion 196
References 197
About the Editors 198
About the Authors 200
Index 205