Chapter 14: The More Things Change…: Trends in Identification with Academics among Minority Students from 1972-1992

Educational and psychological research has repeatedly shown that students from disadvantaged minority groups tend to underperform in the academic realm relative to White or Asian students. Relative to White students, African American students tend to receive lower grades in school (e.g., Demo & Parker, 1987; Simmons, Brown, Bush, & Blyth, 1978); score lower on standardized tests of intellectual ability (e.g., Bachman, 1970; Herring, 1989; Reyes & Stanic, 1988; Simmons et al., 1978), drop out at higher rates (e.g., American Council on Education, 1990; Steele, 1992), and even graduate from college with lower GPAs (e.g., Nettles, 1988). There are similar findings in the literature for Latino students (e.g., Bruschi & Anderson, 1994; Whitworth & Barrientos, 1990). Furthermore, when students are paired on academic preparedness, subsequent achievement is lower for minority students than White or Asian students (Jensen, 1980; Ramist, Lewis, & McCamley-Jenkins, 1994). In sum, there is convincing evidence that students from disadvantaged minority groups receive poorer outcomes at every level, even given equal preparation, than that of White and Asian students (Steele, 1997).