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This paper shares the results of a meta-analysis on the parental-relational component of parental-involvement and its association with the academic and behavioral outcomes of urban students. This meta-analysis includes 76 quantitative studies. The results indicated that statistically significant effects emerged across students of different backgrounds, including differences by age groups, race, gender, and nationality. The results were also substantial in the highest quality studies. The significance of these results is discussed.

The meta-analysis, that included 75 studies, examined the relationship between illegal drug consumption, on the one hand, and student academic and behavioral outcomes, on the other, for the middle school to college grade levels. The meta-analysis first (research question #1) addressed whether there is a statistically significant relationship between illegal drug consumption and student academic and behavioral outcomes. A second question assessed whether there was a statistically significant relationship between the consumption of specific kinds of illegal drugs and student academic and behavioral outcomes (research question #2). The third analysis distinguished between the effects for educational- and behavioral-outcomes to see whether the consumption of illegal drugs was associated with one more than the other (research question #3). Fourth, there were analyses to determine whether the effects that emerged under the first two research questions differed by the age of the student (research question #4). The fifth analysis (research question #5) assessed whether the effects that emerged under the first two research questions differed by the race of the student. The results indicated widespread statistically significant effects for all the drugs under study. The extent of the effects were considerably greater for college students than they were for middle school students.

This meta-analysis of 14 studies examines the relationship between abstinence-only programs and the sexual behavior and—attitudes of urban students from middle school to early in college. The results indicate a significant relationship between abstinence-only programs and the outcomes examined. Abstinence-only programs, as a whole, were associated with reduced premarital sexual behavior by nearly .4 of a standard deviation unit. For sexual behavior and attitudes combined, abstinence-only programs were associated with improvements of nearly .3 of a standard deviation unit. When sophisticated controls were utilized in each of these analyses, the effect sizes were smaller, but were all statistically significant. The importance of these results is discussed.

An extensive meta-analysis, including 52 studies, was undertaken on the relationship between character education and student achievement and behavioral outcomes. Additional analyses were done to determine whether the effects of character education differed by student grade level, locale, race, and so on. The results indicated that character education is associated with higher levels of educational outcomes, no matter what type of standardized or nonstandardized measure was employed. Character education was also related to higher levels of expressions of love, integrity, compassion, and self-discipline. Overall, character education had somewhat greater effects for children in high school rather than those who were in elementary school. The effects of character education did not differ by the race of the children. The significance of these results is discussed.

This meta-analysis of 28 studies examines the relationship between parental involvement and the academic achievement and school behavior of Latino pre-kindergarten-college-age children. Analyses determined the effect sizes for parental involvement overall and specific categories of involvement. Results indicate a significant relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement and overall outcomes, but not for school behavior. This relationship between involvement and academics existed both for younger (grades K-5) and older (secondary school and college freshman) students, as well as for certain specific components of parental involvement. Parental involvement, as a whole, was associated with better school outcomes by .52 of a standard deviation unit. The significance of these results is discussed.

This meta-analysis of 42 studies examines the relationship between parental involvement and the academic achievement and school behavior of African American pre-kindergarten through college freshman school children. Analyses determined the effect sizes for parental involvement overall and specific categories of involvement. Results indicate a significant relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement and overall outcomes, but not for school behavior. This relationship between involvement and academics existed both for younger (pre-elementary and elementary school) and older (secondary school and college freshman) students, as well as for certain specific components of parental involvement. Parental involvement, as a whole, was associated with better school outcomes by nearly .4 of a standard deviation unit. The significance of these results is discussed.

A meta-analyses was undertaken to determine the factors that are most related with reducing the achievement gap. The meta-analysis included 30 studies that examined attempts to bridge the achievement gap between White students on one hand and Black and Latino students on the other. The results indicate that several factors are associated with a reduced achievement gap that could help bridge the gap. A number of these factors go beyond the bounds of the school. These findings suggest that social scientists may need a broad and multidisciplinary approach to the achievement gap, in which they consider a variety of factors can potentially reduce the gap. In addition, the results suggest that social scientist may consider combining educational, psychological, and sociological factors to develop a more comprehensive approach to narrowing the achievement gap. The significance of these results is discussed.

The possibility is examined that school choice programs could be a means to reducing the achievement gap. Data based on meta-analytic research and the examination of nationwide data sets suggest that school choice programs that include private schools could reduce the achievement gap by 25%. The propounding of this possibility is based on research indicating that the achievement gap in faith-based schools is generally 25% narrower than one finds in public schools. Results of these studies suggest that both the racial achievement gap and the socioeconomic achievement gap are reduced by the same degree (25%). The significance of these results is discussed, especially as it pertains to the attitudes that people frequently have toward school choice.

This article examines the views of Darwinist evolution on issues regarding race and how this contributed to the spread of racism in the United States. The writings of Charles Darwin and a myriad of his followers are examined, including Herbert Spencer, Francis Galton, and others. The influence of Darwinism in contributing to the growth of institutional racism and the teaching of scientifically based racist thought is addressed. The article also examines how Darwinist evolutionary thought affected the nation's beliefs about those with special needs and how this contributed to people's perceptions about people of color. The author asserts that the blatant inaccuracies of Darwinist evolution regarding race raise questions about the theory's overall veracity and how teachers should approach instruction regarding Darwin's theory.

This study assessed the relationship between Bible literacy among secondary school students and their academic achievement and school behavior. One hundred and forty students in the 7th to 12th grade were randomly selected from a Christian school. Four measures of Bible knowledge were combined to obtain an overall measure of Bible literacy. They included a brief Bible test, the ease with which students declared that they could recite the 66 books of the Bible in order, the final grade from the last Bible course taken, and the results of previous Bible testing. The results indicate that of the three groups of students, those with the highest level of Bible literacy also had the highest average GPA. the highest ranking in test and grade results, and the best school behavior of the three groups. In contrast, those with the lowest level of Bible literacy also had the lowest average GPA, the lowest ranking in test and grade results, and the worst school behavior of the three groups.

This meta-analysis of 22 studies examines the relationship between phonics and the academic achievement of urban minority elementary school children. Further analyses distinguish between those studies that are of higher quality than the others and those studies that examine all minority students and mostly minority students. Results indicate a significant relationship between phonics instruction and higher academic achievement. Phonics instruction, as a whole, is associated with academic variables by about .23 to .33 of a standard deviation unit. This relationship holds for studies that examine all minority students and those that include mostly minority students. The results also hold for higher quality studies. The significance of these results is discussed.