Minorities and Girls in School: Effects on Achievement and Performance

Although this country has a stake in educating its citizens well, for much of our history, we have not known in any scientific way what helps and what hinders the academic success of girls and minority group members. This book gives voice to four psychologists (Schofield, Slaughter-Defoe, Eccles, and Betz) who use scientific inquiry to understand what helps and what hinders the academic and life performance of minority students and girls. These are scientists who approach their subject matter with technical skill and personal passion to ask such questions as: What has desegregation accomplished? Can beneficial parent-child interactions be facilitated so as to improve school-related performance? Why are we seeing such low levels of achievement for girls and minorities in math and science? What stops women and minorities from choosing and completing majors in science and engineering? Each chapter represents an effort to communicate a vital area of scientific investigation to those in political life who could use that knowledge to formulate effective public policy. Near the end of each chapter are the questions that each of the authors was asked following the original briefing. These interchanges will show how policy makers begin to think about the use of scientific information in a political context.