This study examines the perceptions of college students of color, about their community service (CS) experiences as tutors in public schools. It explores how Black and Latino students at one large public university and three small private colleges in the Northeast conceptualized their experiences as tutors, the impact of tutoring on their college education and the affects of tutoring on their career choices. This study is significant because it enhances our knowledge of the experiences of students of color in CS activities. This study has potential to generate information that is valid for the recruitment and retention of teachers of color and possibly open new avenues about the recipients of service. From a policy perspective, the information obtained is potentially useful to CS organizations, colleges and universities, public and private schools, local, state, and federal policymakers. Three methods of inquiry are used: (1) Pre-questionnaires were used to ascertain a biographical background of each participant. (2) Modified in-depth interviews were conducted with each participant and; (3) post-questionnaires provided opportunity for students to reflect on the pre-questionnaire and oral interview questions and draw further conclusions about their CS tutoring efforts. The research population included 14 undergraduate men and women of color from African American, Cape Verdean and Latino ethnic backgrounds, who participated in one of two CS tutoring projects. The findings revealed: (1) Students of color at both the large public university and the small private colleges reported that community service was an intense learning experience, prompting them to think about issues of tracking, teaching, methods, learning styles, and educational equity. (2) Students of color in both projects found themselves connecting their own educational experiences with those of their tutees, forging a crucial personal link that gave energy and commitment to their work in schools. (3) Students of color in both projects drew direct connections between their CS tutoring and their thinking about future careers; this affirmed and clarified in most cases the students plans to either enter teaching or pursue another professional field. (4) Students of color in both projects found race, ethnicity, and gender crucial to identifying with and maintaining relationships with tutees.

It was the purpose of this study to explore and compare the differences in self concept, academic behavior, and self-reported personal experiences, between a group of high achieving African heritage students and underachieving African heritage students. This study was designed in order to better understand the factors that contribute to the success or underachievement of African heritage students who are judged by their teachers to be academically capable of success. This is a comparative study, using a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies involving a sample of fourteen African heritage male and female high school students from one central Massachusetts high school. Data was drawn from focus groups, demographic profiles, and a self-concept assessment. This study was an exploratory study designed to identify factors related to black student academic achievement. The significant findings include differences in ethnic and linguistic background, participation in extracurricular activities, parental attitudes toward school, student attitudes toward school, and differences in the formation of goals. Based on this data one can conclude that the high achievers of African descent in this study are motivated and invested in their education as a result of various factors including family influences, self determination, and participation in organized extracurricular activities. One can also conclude that the underachievers in this study have been unable to achieve their full potential as a result of various factors that include family influences, peer influences, previous academic experiences, and lack of self motivation. This research can be beneficial to educators and researchers as they continue to unravel the complexities of academic achievement between and among students of color.

As a consequence of the racial dilemma that exists in this society, Black students on White campuses experience education in ways that are different from that of their White cohorts. Black students tend to experience more social and academic alienation, more financial and personal problems, and feel less satisfaction with their educational experience. Much of the research on the experiences of Black students in higher education tends to use quantitative methodologies which do provide insights into the experiences of these students. However, these methodologies do not allow the students to speak for themselves about their experiences. Giving students the opportunity to explain their own realities is one way to deepen our understanding of that experience. This process calls for a qualitative approach, one which may expand our understanding of the experiences of these students. The qualitative approach used in this study includes a thematic analysis of interview data taken from Black students on a predominantly White college campus. The data from this study supported earlier research and confirmed that Black students experience alienation and isolation at this predominantly White college campus. Alienation and isolation was experienced in the classroom and in their living arrangements on campus. The students stated that one of the major learning experiences at the college was learning how to respond to racism and to manage their social relationships with White students and professors in a beneficial way. While students felt that the experience was difficult, they also found it beneficial in that they saw it as preparation for the world outside of college.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-132). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1937.

Thesis (Ed.D.) -- Teachers College, Columbia University, 1991. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Jo Anne Kleifgen. Dissertation Committee: Lucy McCormick Calkins. Includes bibliographical references: (leaves 181-185).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1995. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Kathleen Loughlin. Dissertation Committee: Matthais Finger. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 431-463).

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1937.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1973. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

This study explores the career progression and life history of black mathematicians and scientists who teach on university faculties in the United States. It investigates the following questions: Why are there so few black mathematicians and scientists in colleges and universities in the United States? What is the experience of black students who express an interest in science and math? What barriers do black scientists and mathematicians face as they move through school towards their career in higher education? What factors facilitate their success? The current literature shows that there are few women and minorities teaching or working in math and science compared to white men, although reasons for this underrepresentation are still not well understood. I explored this phenomenon by conducting two sets of in-depth interviews with twelve black faculty, six women, six men, from both historically black and predominantly white higher educational institutions in the United States. My interviews were based upon a life history approach that identified the participants' perceptions of the barriers and obstacles, as well as the supports and facilitators encountered in their schooling and career progression. The findings from the study show the importance of a strong family, community, and teacher support for the participants throughout their schooling. Support systems continued to be important in their faculty positions. These support systems include extended family members, teachers, community members, supervisors, and classmates, who serve as role models and mentors. The life study interviews provide striking evidence of the discrimination, isolation, and harassment due to race and gender experienced by black male and female mathematicians and scientists. The racial discrimination and the compounding effect of racism and sexism play out differently for the male and female participants in this study. This study suggests directions for future research on the experiences of young black students who are currently in the math and science educational pipeline. It also offers recommendations for ways in which parents, teachers, administrators, faculty, advisors, and government officials can enhance the educational experiences of black students who express interest and have skills in math and science.