The relations of future expectations (general and academic) to academic outcomes were examined in a sample of 129 African American high-achieving adolescents (majority female participants, n = 92). This study was interested in the multidimensional nature of future expectations. Results from the study confirm the hypothesis that academic future expectations accounted for more variance in the relation to academic outcomes than general future expectations. In addition, the results suggest that the association of academic future expectations to grade point average lessens in the presence of negative friends. Suggestions for future research are offered.

This research is a collection of comparative case studies that examine the perspectives of four principals in their 1st year of implementing the High School College Collaborative (HSCC), which works to provide traditionally underserved high school students with the opportunity to receive college credit, possibly an associate of arts degree, concurrently with their high school diploma. In this research, we address the following questions: (a) What are the principals’ experiences with implementing HSCC? (b) What are the specific challenges these principals face? and (c) How did the principals negotiate these challenges? This study aims to broaden perspectives on the requirements of school change work, thus increasing both principals’ effectiveness and learning opportunities for all students.

In the United States, where technological progress is portrayed as humanistic progress, computer technologies often are hailed as the great equalizers. Even within progressive education movements, such as multicultural education, the conversation about instructional technology tends to center more on this or that wonderful Web site or piece of software than on equitable access to these technologies. In this article, the author challenges people working at the intersections of multicultural and instructional technology, insisting that our first concern must be the elimination of digital inequities. It is only when we reframe the dominant discourse in this way that we practice authentic multicultural education.

This study focuses on student discipline as related to the perceptions, work, and backgrounds of effective Black and White teachers. The article expands current knowledge by reporting findings from a case study of 4 teachers (2 African Americans and 2 Whites) employed in an urban, predominately African American middle school. Interviews, field visits, and documents were analyzed according to guidelines created by Miles and Huberman (1994) and collectively point to four themes: (a) learning-based perceptions of student behavior, (b) the role of preservice teacher preparation, (c) the influence of remembered teachers and teacher mentors, and (d) outreach efforts to students’ parents and families. The study’s implications for future scholarship and practice are considered.

This study examines Latino and White high school students’ perceptions of teacher behaviors that convey caring. Major findings of students’ perceptions generated five dominant themes: (a) provide scaffolding during a teaching episode, (b) reflect a kind disposition through actions, (c) are always available to the student, (d) show a personal interest in the student’s well-being inside and outside the classroom, (e) and provide affective academic support in the classroom setting. I highlight similarities and uniqueness between the two ethnic groups, generating new information that teachers can use to examine their own practice to determine the extent of culturally responsive caring.